Still Breathing
by burnedupasun
Summary: "Maybe this is a chance for us to run towards something, finally. Something that's ours." (Sequel to "She's Breathing", a post-Coda Fix-It fic.)
1. Promise Me

****A/N: Here it is, the first chapter of the sequel to She's Breathing! Not much to say but that I hope you enjoy it. (And yes, the fic rating does apply to this specific chapter.)**

"Look, we gotta try and make some runs for supplies, but we gotta be smart about it."

"You think I don't know that?"

"I ain't sayin' you don't, okay? Just..."

A snap and crackle from the fire in front of her momentarily blocked out the sound of Rick and Daryl's hushed conversation, and Beth frowned. She shouldn't have been listening in to begin with, she knew that. Her Mama had always scolded her for eavesdropping as a kid, but Beth's sense of good manners and morals had always eaged a bit with her natural curiosity. She couldn't help but be curious right now. Rick had pulled Daryl off to the side a half hour after they'd all gotten up, catching him while she'd been relieving herself in the woods. She hadn't been at his side for once, which apparently meant she didn't get included into the conversation.

Now the pair of them were shoulder to shoulder across the fire, leaning over some map they'd spread out on a flat-topped rock. From where Beth stood on the other side she could see Daryl tracing his finger over something on the map, but whatever he was murmuring to Rick, she couldn't hear. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight, or at least it hadn't been at one time. She had plenty of memories like this, Rick and Daryl with their heads together bent over a map or talking over a problem. Sometimes Michonne would join in, or Carol or, even further back, Lori would sometimes try (usually to no avail, back then). Maybe she just hadn't had so many memories of them like this lately because usually she was right there beside Daryl, part of the conversation. Had it just been because she'd conveniently been next to him whenever it happened?

She really did know she shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but she still didn't tear her gaze away. Not until Rick looked up at spotted her and Beth cleared her throat and darted a look off to the side as if she hadn't been staring at them. "Beth!" For just a second she felt like a kid caught spying or something, but there was no scolding look on Rick's face when she glanced back up at him. Instead, he was waving her over, and when she glanced at Daryl he had a hint of a smile on his lips. Just enough for her to know it was okay.

Leaving the fire behind she moved around it and came up at Daryl's side next to the rock. The moment she was there, Rick gestured down to the map, including her easily into the conversation as he summarized, "You know we're running low on the supplies James gave us, and the little we've managed to collect along the way." Of course she knew. It had been about a week since they'd left Richmond, and their journey had been slow-going. They'd made it through most of Virginia and according to the signs they'd found (and Daryl's reckoning prior to that) were currently somewhere in the Jefferson National Forest and getting closer to the border.

They'd been walking for all of it. Up at dawn, stopping for breaks when needed, and then for lunch, and later slowing before sunset to set up camp before it got dark. It was slow going, but that was better than pushing themselves and getting hurt. The problem was that they hadn't had a ton of supplies to start with, especially when it came to food. Water wasn't as hard in the forest with both Beth and Daryl to find sources for it, but food could be more trouble. They didn't have time for Beth and Daryl to go off on a long hunt for a deer and while the squirrel and occasional rabbit they caught helped, it wasn't enough.

"Daryl says we're about here," Rick pointed to a spot around the center of the forest. "And right here-" He dragged his finger slightly, "-is a lake."

"Lake Moomaw," Daryl said roughly, giving her what she knew was an amused little smile at the name. "Found a little brochure thing, back at the last ranger cabin we passed. Supposed t' be a campground on a ridge above it. Reckon we can find some fishin' supplies, if anythin', and the campground might be a good place t' stop for a day or two."

Beth nodded slowly, her eyes on his as she followed right along with his suggestion. She was distracted by Rick looking up at her and asking, "So what do you think, Beth?"

The fact that _she_ was being asked made her blink and shift in place, especially considering just moment before she'd been worrying about not being included, but she wasn't about to blow this by being an idiot. Especially not when Daryl was gently leaning his arm against hers like he was right now in silent encouragement. After staring down at the map a moment longer to collect her thoughts, Beth remarked, "Staying up on a ridge might be safer, and a campground might be less risk than cabins or buildings that might have walkers inside. Sounds like the sort of place we could stay a short while, and we could use that. Hank has been real tired lately, and Tara's leg is still bothering her, and I know Noah's Mom just isn't used to being on the road like this. Plus you know Judith always gets fussy when we've been constantly on the move, a day or two to relax would settle her." She tapped her fingers on the map, and added, "And fish would be really good. We can eat 'em fresh, or dry it out to save it. Plus if we stay there a day or two, Daryl and I might be able to hunt down a deer and add to our supplies. I think it's a really good idea."

It was only when she was done talking that she glanced up at both men. Rick was nodding seriously as if he were genuinely taking her opinion into account, and Daryl... well, Daryl was staring at her with this look in her eyes that she knew was a combination of pride and affection and attraction, and she would have kissed him for it if the others weren't all right there.

"Alright." Rick gave one more decisive nod, and began to fold up the map. "We should send a smaller group ahead to scout and make sure it's safe. You two wanna pick who to go with you?"

Daryl didn't hesitate. "Michonne, Maggie, and Glenn?"

Though she'd paused for a second to smile- it really was still a novelty to be a 'pair' and not the assumed tag-a-long of Daryl's- Beth chimed in after a moment, "And Carl. If you don't mind. He's been getting better and better with that bow of his and he could use more practice scoping places out and reading the tracking signs and all."

Though he hesitated a moment, Rick nodded after a moment. If it had been a riskier situation she wouldn't have asked, but a campground up in the forest in the mountains didn't seem quite as dangerous. Besides, she'd meant it. Carl was getting better every day, but he needed more practice, and Beth wanted him to get it. She wanted him to be _strong_. "How 'bout I come this time? Michonne can stay with the group and guard." He looked over at Beth, and surprised her again when he asked, "That okay?"

She knew that what he was really asking was if it was okay for Carl, and Beth felt an odd sense of pride in knowing that Rick trusted her opinion when it came to his son. He'd trusted her enough to ask for her help with Carl before, and now he was trusting her to know what was right for the boy, too. Knowing that Rick had that much faith in her judgment of his son's needs made her feel even more proud. She took a moment to think it over and then nodded, voicing her thoughts out loud, "He's been learning a lot. It'd be good for him to have you see some of that, and for him to see that you respect him for it."

His nod and the understanding look that passed between them helped Beth believe she'd made the right decision. Rick wanted his son to be strong, to find ways to overcome the trauma of what he'd gone through. He wouldn't risk upsetting that, if he could avoid it. After a moment, Rick offered them the folded map and then headed off, presumably to find the others for their little advance party, leaving Daryl and Beth alone by the rock. Turning towards him, she used her body as a shield, so everyone sitting around behind them couldn't see the way she ran her fingers lightly up his arm. "Did I do good?"

"You don't need to ask that," Daryl said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "You always do good."

"I'm surprised he even asked me, to be honest." She gave a little shrug of her shoulder but Daryl instantly shook his head.

"Another thing you shouldn't be sayin'." He reached down, finding her hand where it was hidden between their bodies and gently running the rough pads of his fingers across the back of her hand. "Course he asked for your opinion. You're smart. But you also..." She saw his brow furrow as he searched for the right words. "Y' think about everyone else an' what they need. You see it, when we don't."

Now it was her turn to furrow her brow at him, even as she gently hooked her fingers through his. "That's not anything special, though..."

"'Course it is. Rick, he thinks of the journey and what we need to get there, to keep goin'. Me, I think about huntin' and food, an' where we might be safer in general. But you..." His fingers stroked the inside of her palm and she sighed at the softness of his touch and the way the rough pads of his fingers felt against her skin. "You see all of that, an' you see everyone else, too. You notice when people are hurt, or tired, or need a break and you remember it, an'... factor it in."

She started to shake her head but he cut her off with one look, and after a moment, Beth just crinkled up her nose at him. When she saw a faint smile appear on his lips instead, she went on playfully, "Speaking of noticing people..."

"What?"

"You." She smiled at him as her own fingers shifted to graze against his. "You notice things about me even _I_ don't notice sometimes." She could see him shrugging it off, and Beth gave him a look that was very similar to the one he'd given her. The sight of it made him chuckle, and Beth just smiled as she felt the companionable ease between them.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Glenn's voice broke in from behind them and while Daryl looked a mix of annoyed and slightly flustered the way he often did when they got caught in a even a mild display of affection, Beth just laughed as she turned to stick her tongue out at Glenn. "Very mature," her brother-in-law teased with a roll of his eyes.

"Says the guy who just called us lovebirds," Beth shot right back. She reluctantly released Daryl's hand to turn towards Glenn, but was firmly conscious of Daryl's warm presence right behind her. "You keep doing that, I might decide to get payback. Just wait till the next time you and my sister try sneaking off for some alone time, then you'll regret all your teasing..."

Maggie came up behind her husband, a grin on her face that was similar to Beth's own. "Is he being a doofus again?"

"Yep." Beth leaned imperceptibly back against Daryl, feeling him relax from the tension that being caught in an affectionate moment sometimes seemed to cause him. "And the next time you two are sneaking off together and get interrupted, just remember it's all _your_ doofus husband's fault!"

Just as Maggie playfully punched Glenn's arm, Beth heard a voice call out her name. "Beth!" She looked over to see Carl hurrying towards her excitedly, only to catch himself and slow down when he saw her, Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn all standing there. She didn't fail to notice the transformation that went over him; the way he puffed out his chest a bit and tilted his chin up under the sheriff's hat he still proudly wore. When he reached her side, he cleared his throat. "Dad said you wanted me to come on a run with you?"

"That's right." She smiled and resisted the urge to slip that hat off and ruffle his hair. She knew he hated that, even if she was fond of doing it sometimes. Instead she tugged on the brim of his hat briefly and gave him a smile. "Come on, let's go get our weapons and I'll tell you all about the _mission_, okay?"

As she walked off with Carl, who was doing his best to hide his excitement (even though it showed in the bounce of his step), Beth glanced over her shoulder at Daryl and gave him a slow soft smile that was all for him.

...

At first Carl had seemed a little unsure about having his Dad along for their little 'mission', but once Beth framed it as a chance to show his Dad how good he'd gotten at this, the boy seemed to latch onto it. She could see it in the way he held himself as they trekked through the forest and up towards the lake, and she could hear it in the confident way he'd point out things like the traces of the path they were following. They were making their way through the forest on what had once been a walking path according to Daryl's little park map. Now, after two years of being unused by anyone but animals, it was faint but still visible.

It wasn't _that_ hard to find the shape of it, but Carl seemed so proud of himself that Beth didn't have any desire to point that out. He was showing off a bit, but she didn't mind. He was a teenage boy, after all. Watching him with a faint smile, Beth drifted closer to Daryl, who was at her side keeping an eye on the woods. With a nod ahead to Carl, she asked, "Was I ever like that, when you were training me?"

Daryl looked at her and raised a slow eyebrow as he murmured back, "Who, you? Miss, 'soon I won't need you anymore'?"

She blushed instantly, but after a moment she just chuckled. "Okay I guess I did get a tiny bit cocky."

"Just a bit?" He elbowed her just lightly and Beth snorted with amusement.

"You know I just wanted to prove myself to you." Seeing him open his mouth to reply and instinctively knowing what he was going to say, Beth gave him a sideways glance and added softly, "I didn't know then that I didn't need to prove myself to you."

He looked at her with so many unspoken things in his eyes; things he didn't need to say, because she could read them as well as she could read herself these days. In his eyes she saw pride at how far she'd come and how strong she was to him; trust, implicit in every moment they share together; love that radiated from his heart just as it did from hers, so strong that it hummed in her bones whenever they were close. She saw that he wished they were alone for just a moment so that he could kiss her or touch her, show her with his hands and his lips the things he couldn't always put into words.

Beth knew that _he_ knew she could see all those things, because she could see the knowledge of it in his eyes, too, and through the brief graze of the backs of their hands, they shared acknowledgment of that understanding and so much more.

"Oh, get a room!"Glenn's playful voice called out from behind them, and the moment was broken, but not in a bad way. They were all laughing and Daryl was glaring at Glenn in a way that was more playful than serious, and Maggie was shaking her head apologetically as she laughed, and even Rick had a smile on his face.

"All they were doing was _walking_ together," Carl chimed in with confusion after a moment, to which Glenn laughed and replied, "Yeah and making googly eyes at each other, and brushing their hands. Which for Daryl is pretty much like making out, don't you know that?"

This time it was Daryl who snorted and shot back, "Glenn's just mad we won't make it a competition of who can gross everyone out the most by suckin' face in front of the group."

"Wouldn't be a competition anyway," Beth slide in without missing a beat, "Glenn would win that contest any day."

"Hey! I'm taking that personally, you know!" His mock-offended voice echoed out behind her, and Beth just grinned.

"You should, cause it's definitely not Maggie's fault!" She looked over her shoulder at her sister, and gave her a slow smile. Moments like this, all laughter and banter and the warmth of sunshine overhead, it always made her remember the way things used to be. There was the scent of dirt and pine instead of hay and cows, but if she closed her eyes for just a moment she could remember her and Maggie and Shawn laying out on the grass in front of the farm, teasing Shawn over getting caught making out with his latest girlfriend behind the barn.

A hint of nostalgia and sadness flashed through Maggie's gaze, and Beth knew her sister was remembering the same thing; or at the least, a similar moment. In a way it only brought them another tiny bit closer, placed another stitch in the rented fabric of their relationship and healed that tear a little bit more.

When she turned back ahead, the smile lingered on her lips and despite Glenn's teasing, Daryl brushed the back of his hand against hers again in shared understanding. She never needed more from him. _They_ didn't need more, at least not when there were others around. Their moments were private, intimate, and sometimes she thought that they could share a hundred thoughts with one look or gentle touch when they needed to. Like they did right now, hiking through the woods together with the laughter of their family soft behind them.

...

It wasn't until they got about three quarters of the way there that Carl's show-off tendencies eased a bit and he came up beside Beth to walk with her instead. She had a feeling he wanted to ask her something; actually, she'd gotten that feeling from him a lot lately. The thing with Carl sometimes was you just had to be patient and let him get it out. He was almost like Daryl in that way, or heck, even like Rick. If you pushed any of them they'd close off or snap, but if you just waited, sometimes it'd come out on it's own. If it were meant to, anyway.

"Beth?" His voice was soft and hesitant until she looked over at him with a soft, open smile. "Do you ever think... You know, that it was a waste? We worked so hard getting up to Richmond and then after all that we just ended up turning around and heading back again."

She considered his question in thoughtful silence as they walked carefully through the woods, surrounded by the faint rustling of tree branches and the distant calls of birds. It was a question worth giving consideration to, but she didn't have to think about it long; the same question had been on her mind since they'd voted to leave Richmond over a week ago.

"I don't think anything is really a waste," Beth said after a moment. She glanced over at him, their eyes meeting as she went on, "Everything we go through, the good and the bad, the exciting and the boring... it's all important in it's own way. My Daddy used to say everything happens for a reason, you know? Everything can be a lesson."

"Even this?"

Beth nodded. "Definitely this. Didn't we learn from it? We learned that a place like that isn't right for us, but we also learned that we want to find a place that is." She nudged him a bit, conscious that everyone around them was listening even as she kept her focus on Carl. "It's like when you learn to ride a bike. Falling off teaches you just as much as the times you stay on. When you fall, you realize what you did wrong and you learn what to do instead so that next time maybe you _don't_ fall." She smiled. "Or at least maybe you don't fall the same way again."

For once Carl didn't reply. He seemed to just be taking in what she'd said, but as the boy drifted back a bit to muse on it, Rick came up to take his place at Beth's side. "You remind me a lot of your father," he said hesitantly, she assumed because he didn't want to accidentally upset her.

The brush of Daryl's arm against hers on the other side had Beth figuring he anticipated it might upset her, too, and she didn't blame either of them for thinking that. These days, mentioning a loved one who'd been lost was risky for all of them; it was always a toss-up, seemingly no way of knowing on which side the coin would fall.

But Beth just smiled up at Rick, grateful as she replied softly, "Thank you." She was proud to be thought of as anything like her father. "He was a good man. _One_ of the best men I know." Her slow glance included Rick and Daryl, because the truth was that they were just as high on that list in her mind now, and she wanted them to know it.

Before either of them could say anything more, Daryl caught her attention by slowing down beside her. Her own pace slowed a second behind his, and it took just a moment longer for Rick and the others to catch on. Looking ahead, Beth saw Daryl's outstretched arm pointing to the end of the woods and an open clearing beyond. In the distance she could see a few colorful tents dotting the grass, some of them still standing, others torn up or knocked around, though it was hard to tell what had done it; wind, weather, walkers, people... in the time since this campground had been used as a vacation spot, so much could have happened to cause any of the damage.

What really caught her attention was the silver glint of a couple RVs also parked on the camp ground, presumably abandoned in the aftermath of the rise of the walkers. Though she'd never been in it, Beth had heard stories of the RV the group had once had. It was a good sort of shelter; a safe place to sleep, probably with some sort of gas stove they might be able to use and, if they were lucky, a store of canned food. Doubly good if they could get it moving.

The three of them paused at the break in the trees to survey the area in front of them. Behind them, Maggie, Glenn, and Carl gathered close, silently watching over their shoulders. "Looks quiet," Rick remarked with a glance over at the two of them.

"No walkers, that I can see," Beth added, though she looked over at Daryl knowing he saw exactly what she did, if not even more.

"No tracks, either," he agreed with a nod. But he jutted out his chin in the direction of the tents, and Beth hummed in agreement to his unspoken thoughts.

Rick apparently couldn't follow their communication so well, and Beth had to bite back a smile and a little chuckle at the look on his face. "He thinks there might be walkers in some of the tents. See the dark spots on some of them?" She pointed them out, careful to turn her body slightly to include Carl as well. "Blood, probably. They're not moving, but they might've been in there for a long time. All this time, even. Might not be used to moving, or hearing anything that'd get them moving."

"Could we find out without opening them first?" Carl spoke softly from behind her, hesitant but growing more confident when Beth gave him a pleased nod.

As Carl briefly scuffed his foot on the ground, Beth looked up at Rick and slowly raised her eyebrow. A silent gesture of her head towards Carl had understanding dawning in his father's eyes, and after a moment Rick turned slowly to ask his son, "What's your suggestion, Carl?"

Beth didn't miss how the surprise that flashed across Carl's face was followed a second later by just a hint of pride. "We could..." He looked all around him, silent for a few moments before an idea lit up his eyes and he crouched down to pick up a good-sized rock. "Make some noise?"

"Good idea," Daryl spoke beside her, but it was Rick who reached out to squeeze his son's shoulder in agreement.

She was proud of them both, especially when Carl stood up a little straighter at his father's unspoken compliment. Beth watched as Daryl took the rock and carefully aimed it, tossing it at a fire pit in the center of some of the tents. The rock hit a rusted pot that was resting on top of a grate there, making a loud clang that was impossible to miss, and sure enough it got a reaction. Something began to move in two of the blood-stained tents, and although it was far slower than the frantic movements of newer and younger walkers, it was definitely movement.

By now they all had plenty of practice with walkers, and taking them out wasn't too hard a feat. Daryl and Beth would have tried to shoot them through the tents, if it hadn't been such a waste of arrows. Instead they moved systematically, using the slowness of the walkers to their advantage. One member of the group moved to the back of the tent to tempt the walker with sound, while another went to the front, quickly undid the zipper, and shot the walker through the head. That task was left to Beth and Daryl's crossbows; Carl asked to help but Beth had to let him down gently this time; he wasn't good enough with his new compound bow just yet for this.

The third bloody tent had no movement inside of it, but the flap in the front was open and by Beth's guess, whoever- or whatever- had been inside of it was probably long gone.

For now, that just left the two campers; one a sleek metal trailer that was missing the car that had once towed it, and the other a small white RV. After a hushed discussion, Rick and Carl took the trailer while Maggie and Glenn took the RV, leaving Beth and Daryl keeping guard outside with their bows upraised. Too many people in those confined spaces would harm, rather than hinder. The last thing they needed was to get all tangled up in each other when a walker sprang out of a closet or a closed room. Thankfully, both spaces were clean except for one walker in Maggie and Glenn's, RV trapped in the bedroom but quickly taken care of according to Glenn, who stuck his head out the door when he let them know it was all clear.

With the others scoping out the contents of the campers, Beth turned around to examine the rest of the camp. With the forest at her back, she realized they were up on a ridge overlooking the lake which stretched out below them, long and bright with the clear blue of the sky reflected on it's surface. It was... beautiful. Absolutely beautiful in every way, especially when she imagined what it would look like with the sun rising or setting over it, painting pinks and purples and oranges across the water. She could see why people would choose to come camp up here, with a view like this.

What happened next was her own stupid fault, really. She couldn't help but be drawn to the gorgeous view of the lake beneath the ridge, and without thinking she stepped closer and closer to the edge. Everything felt fine, everything felt solid... Until suddenly it didn't. Gravel crunched and shifted under her feet and suddenly the rock began to crumble and before she could pull back she felt herself slipping right over the edge.

All she had time to do was cry out once, frantic and sharp, "Daryl!" Her body twisted, instinct telling her to reach for something, to grab whatever she could. She went sliding over the ledge on her side and twisted onto her belly, her hands scrambling desperately for purchase on rocks that crumbled underneath her palms and plants that snapped with her weight. She felt emptiness beneath her yawning up to swallow her as she made one last, panicked grasp for something, _anything_-

-and felt a hand curl hard around her wrist. Instinct had her fingers curling tightly back and relief flooded her system though she was still on fire with panic and adrenaline. She didn't have to look up to know who it was, but she did anyway and o course, there he was. Daryl, crouched on his haunches and gripping her tightly. His face was set like stone but she could see the panic and fear deep in his eyes as he gripped her with all his strength.

"Hold on, girl. Ain't gonna let you fall."

_Never, never, never._ She knew that like she knew to breathe in and out, knew it right down deep in her bones. Daryl Dixon would never let her go, never let her fall.

Beth trusted him like she did every moment of every day. She clung tightly to his wrist and did her best to help him. Her legs stopped scrambling and struggling because she knew that would only set him off balance. Instead, as her heart raced away in her chest and panic threatened to tighten her lungs and steal her breath, she shifted her feet to try and dig them in to the rock of the ridge, steadying herself as best she could.

"Good girl," he murmured, his voice rough with the worry he was trying to shove down as he focused instead on helping her. She heard the panicked cries of the others in the distance as Maggie and Glenn came out from the RV and spotted Daryl desperately holding onto her.

Beth wasn't sure if they'd get to them in time, but Daryl didn't even seem to consider that he needed them. He dug his heels in deep and _pulled_, hoisting her up inch by inch until she managed to catch on a ledge with her feet and _shove_.

The movement pushed her up a few inches and he staggered back, only to gasp seconds later when the rock began to crumble beneath her feet and she fell heavily back again.

"_No_!" He cried out the word, rougher and more determined than she'd heard him in a long time. A change came over him like Beth hadn't seen since that day in the woods with the Hunters. His face was set like stone, filled with a fierceness that brought to mind something both wild and protective all at once. He _growled_ as his arms went tight, muscles bulging as he put every ounce of strength into desperately pulling her body up and over the ledge.

She came over faster than expected, the momentum sending her smacking hard into him until they tumbled backwards together onto the ground. The _ground_. Beth felt one hand braced against it as she fell against his chest, pinning him to the ground beneath her as a desperate sob echoed through her chest. "Oh god-"

That was all she had time to get out before he was sitting up and his arms were around her. One pressed to the small of her back and the other to the back of her head as he cradled her to his chest. Dimly she was aware of Maggie and Glenn slowing as they got close, Rick and Carl close behind them, and then everything faded to just her and Daryl. She trembled in his arms but she could feel him shaking too, and she knew it wasn't just from the strain of pulling her up.

"I'm okay," she whispered into the crook of his neck as he clutched her tightly, almost desperately, as if letting her go meant she might slip away from him again and right back down the edge of that cliff. "I'm okay, Daryl, I'm okay. You saved me."

"_Fuck_," he growled against her hair, pressing a kiss there where she no one else could see. "Don't you ever do somethin' like that again, Greene, okay? _Ever_."

"Wasn't planning on doing it at all," she whispered back, her eyes pressed shut as relief flooded her system. It had been an accident, they both knew that, but she also knew what he needed to hear. "I promise, Daryl. Never again, I promise."

"Good. Cause I ain't-" His fingers clenched in her shirt and then released slowly. "I ain't losing you like that. Not like that."

Conscious of the people around them, but not caring anyway, Beth turned her head to press her lips against his forehead and whispered, "Not at all. Not ever." She knew she couldn't promise it and yet she did, anyway. Because she was still alive, wasn't she? _They_ were still alive, still breathing, still managing to come back to each other again and again, no matter what. Even if that had been too close for comfort.

It was a few long moments before Daryl lifted her to his feet and released her, but only long enough for Maggie to wrap her up in a tight hug that was shared by the others. This time when she moved back to Daryl's side and his hand took hers, Glenn didn't tease about the public affection. No one did.

And Beth was glad, because there was no way in hell she was letting go of him right now. So she didn't, not even as the others assured them the clearing was clear, not until Daryl told the others she needed space for just a moment to compose herself and brought her away into the woods. That was true, she did need a moment, but it was more than that. She needed him, and judging by the frantic brush of his hands over her body the moment they were alone, he needed her too.

Remnants of the adrenaline she'd felt as she'd went sliding over that cliff still lingered, pulsing through her veins and fueled by the look in his eyes. Beth saw it again now, that panic and worry now mingling with his relief at her being alive, and _safe_. She could see the need in his eyes and knew it was matched in her own; the need to be reassured that they were alive, save, together.

His hands found her hips and pressed her back to the nearest tree, and she had just enough time for a fleeting memory of another time they'd done this before all she could think about was his hands caressing her hips and his lips fastening to her neck. He growled, low and animalistic, and she arched into him with a little whimper in response.

_Don't let me go_, her body pleaded as she curved into his touch and clung to him, holding him tightly, letting her hands span over the angel wings at his back to keep him- her guardian angel- close.

_Never, never, never again_, his own actions whispered back to her as he trailed open-mouthed kisses across the exposed arch of her neck, all the while reaching between them to deftly unbutton her jeans and tug them down. She thought he would take her right there against the tree, but he didn't. To her surprise he caught her up in his arms the moment her pants were around her ankles, held her close, and brought her with him as he dropped to his knees on the forest floor.

Daryl laid her out against the grass, her hair forming a pale blonde halo around her head as his hand brushed down between the valley of her breasts and across the flat of her stomach. She stretched beneath him, bare from the waist down with her jeans and panties dangling from one ankle, her blue eyes so dark with love and need.

"Never again," he ground out in a rough whisper as he undid his jeans and pushed them open so his cock jutted out at her, hard with the same need she felt hot and low in her belly.

"_Never_," Beth gasped back, breaking off in a moan as he lined himself up and pressed into her in one hard, smooth thrust.

Daryl leaned over her as he drove in deep, rooting himself within her as if all he wanted was to fuse them together. Maybe he did. She could see it in his eyes, that desperate need to be close to her, to feel _alive_ with her, all mixed up in his worry and fear and love, and she knew he was seeing every bit of that reflected back in her own gaze. His hands pressed against the ground on either side of her head and she wrapped her legs around him, welcoming him in even deeper as he breathed out, "_Promise me_."

They both knew that there were few promises you could make and keep in a world like this. But they also knew that there were some promises you needed to make, or hear, or _believe_ and right now, this was one of them. "I promise," she breathed back at him, sharing the words as they shared their breaths between them, as they shared the heat of their bodies and the racing of their hearts. "Never again. You won't lose me. I promise."

They came together as if desperate to prove that they could never be separated. If two bodies truly could fuse, theirs would have then as he drove her into the soft grass. The heat between them felt powerful enough to fuel a forge. Maybe it was. Maybe it was forging another link in the chain that bound them together, a chain built from each shared moment, the pain of loss and the relief of reunion, a chain strengthened by friendship and partnership and love.

It was hard and fast and rough and hot, and the desperate kisses they shared between them barely caught their low moans and Daryl's ragged growls and groans, until Beth was arching up like a bow beneath her archer's hands, trembling like a tautly drawn string and then snapping with one last deep thrust. She came undone in shivers, muffling her cries against his mouth only to feel him tense and then pull out of her suddenly to spill across the ground beneath them.

It had been close, almost too close, but right now neither of the could bring themselves to care. Beth didn't think she'd have cared right now even if he _had_ come inside of her, but she knew dimly that later she'd be relieved that he'd at least been able to think enough to stop them from taking that risk.

Now they just lay there on the forest floor, his face buried against her warm shoulder, her hands brushing up his sweat-slicked back under his shirt. When the glide of her fingertips over one of his scars had him pressing closer rather than pulling away, Beth turned graze her lips over his temple, and whispered, "I love you." Though she knew that he had been telling her this with their frantic, needy coupling, she didn't add a 'too' at the end to finish his unspoken words. She needed to say it like that, in a way that wasn't just a response but a statement.

Though she hadn't expected it- or perhaps because of that- Beth smiled all slow and wide when he whispered into the safety of the delicate curve of her neck, into the space that was all his and his alone, "_I love you, too._"

Even when she'd been sprawled on top of him on the ridge after having been saved from falling to her death, Beth hadn't felt more alive than she did right now, pressed against him on the floor of the woods, their hearts slowing together and their lungs still breathing to the same rhythm. What made her feel most alive, though, were his words; echoing in her mind and wrapping themselves around her heart as she promised herself that she would do whatever it took to keep feeling alive like this, with him, together.

****A/N: I really hope you all enjoyed this first chapter. I will try to update every few days, as best I can. Classes are starting, so I have to see how everything settles, but I'll do my best to give this fic priority.  
><strong>

**(Reviews and follows are love! 3 And thanks to all of you who are continuing over from She's Breathing.)**


	2. What Changed

****A/N: This is mostly a sweet chapter, I think you'll especially love the second half and the ending. There is a good bit of Carol in this chapter, I know maybe not everyone is fond of her. She's important to Daryl though, and so this is my attempt to view her through his eyes and also maybe fix some of the mess the show made of her this season. (A big thanks to sparks-of-greene on tumblr for helping me hash out the Carol stuff and beta-ing that section of the chapter.)**

The drop-down metal steps creaked under Daryl's weight as he stepped out of the silver trailer and surveyed the campground in front of him. The scene was picturesque in a way. Grass stretched out in front of the camper, dotted by a few of the clean tents they'd salvaged and set up around the firepit, which crackled now with a nice steady fire. The group was spread out in a rough circle around it; gathered on logs or just seated on the ground. He could see Tara and Rosita (who was usually off on her own though often with Tara at her side) inside one of the open tents, talking softly to themselves as Eugene sat outside the door, presumably on guard in his own odd way.

To the right of them, Ivy and Noah were stretched out on the grass resting, their hands linked between them as they softly talked. Others were working at the structure Beth and he and built over the fire to dry the meat from the fish they'd caught earlier in the day; he watched Hank and Noah's mother Roberta adjusting the thinly cut strips of fish on the wooden braces to make sure they cooked evenly. All in all it really was something out of some post-card suburban fantasy of a camping weekend... Or it would have been, if not for the cans strung up around the camp, or the sight of Rick and Tyreese standing guarding with their guns and walking the perimeter, covered by Sasha who was up on the top of the RV with her rifle.

Even without them in his line of sight the view wasn't so picturesque for Daryl, because he couldn't stop looking out over that ridge ahead of him. Since yesterday, every time his gaze drifted to that ridge he felt something clench at his gut as memory flashed through his mind.

_He had only seconds to register the sound of crumbling rock and then Beth was crying out his name. He turned sharply, feeling his stomach drop at the sight of her tumbling over the cliff. Her fingers scrambled at the ground, trying in vain to clutch at something, anything to stop from going over, curling against the rock as worry dug it's claws into his belly and twisted and tore. He lurched forward as fast as he could, frantic but single-minded in his focus: Beth, Beth, Beth, Beth._

_He'd almost been too late. One more second and he'd have lost her, one more second and his fingers would have closed on air and she'd have gone tumbling over the edge the same way she'd crumpled to the floor with that cops bullet slicing across her scalp. But he'd caught her and somehow, despite feeling her slipping from his grasp, he'd pulled her back up and into his arms. Safe, once again._

Daryl knew that they were safe right now, or as safe as they could get in a world where things could change at any moment. But that relative safety didn't stop his gaze from drifting to the ridge again and again, remembering the panic and the sudden gut-wrenching fear that had overtaken him for just one moment as he faced the thought of losing her again.

_Beth_. Now, just as he'd done each time his gaze had been pulled to the ridge today, Daryl let his gaze drift to her.

She was sitting cross-legged on a blanket by the fire with Carl beside her and Judy standing on unsteady legs thanks to Beth's hands under her arms holding her up. He drank in the sight of her; sun shining on her hair and dancing down the curve of her neck as she tipped her head back in a happy, pure laugh. Even the scars on her face did nothing to take away from her beauty. Though seeing them was a reminder of what she'd gone through, it was also a reminder of the strong woman she'd become and they only made her more beautiful in Daryl's mind.

They were a fighter's scars. A warrior's scars. Like the one sliced across her wrist, they marked how many times she had fought to save her own life, to survive to be here now.

"You know she's not gonna disappear, right?" The familiar steady voice beside him had Daryl turning to see Carol watching him with an amused smile on her lips.

If it were Glenn he would have glared, Rick he would have shrugged, Michonne he might have cracked a slight sarcastic joke, but Carol... Carol was like his sister. Had been for a good while now, even though a part of him had felt her drifting a bit lately. It was like the more he became anchored by his relationship with Beth and the ways he had begun to change, the more Carol began to uproot herself, though he didn't think the two things were related quite so literally. In some way he felt a little bit of guilt for not trying harder to reel her in, to help her the way he'd known she needed help since that night in Atlanta when she'd been at his side helping him try to find Beth.

He'd seen that night, the ways she'd changed. He'd seen the darkness in her that had once filled him in the days following the prison, when he'd been filled with a guilt that threatened to overwhelm him, threatened to rise over his head like the ocean tides until Beth had reached down and fished him out.

Daryl's gaze shifted back to Beth again for just a moment, watching as whatever she said made Carl laugh. He hadn't failed to notice how much better the kid looked lately. How he seemed to be opening up again, to be regressing but in the way he should have been; back to a kid as much as he could be, but a kid who was more confident in himself. Daryl knew that it was because of Beth. Because she'd seen what Carl needed and was slowly but surely giving it to him.

She inspired emotions in him that Daryl was still unused to, but she also simply _inspired_ him. He looked at her and the way she helped the people she loved; just one facet of the goodness that he wished he could emulate sometimes. Maybe he could.

All of those things flashed through his mind in just a few seconds, and so when he turned back to Carol he said simply, "I know I _should_ believe that she won't just disappear. But..." He shrugged. But he couldn't erase the worry of losing her, couldn't erase the panic that gnawed at his stomach each time he remembered her sliding over that ledge.

Carol looked surprised, perhaps that he'd admitted that to her rather than just shrugging or covering it up or making a joke. After a moment, Daryl took the last step down onto the grass and stood beside her, both of them watching Beth with Judith and Carl. The quiet fell between them for a long moment, but it was more considering than uncomfortable. It was the quiet born of a deep friendship, a bond that had grown from them almost since this new world had begun.

When he finally spoke, Daryl kept his voice casual; not as if she were a skittish doe in the woods, but something more fierce and dangerous that he didn't want to spook, or rise to anger. Carol was far from a scared doe these days. "What do you think about all this? Us heading back south, looking for a place to make our own?"

"It's a destination." Carol kept her gaze focused forward even as Daryl turned his head slightly to study her. "Who knows if it can be more than that." She didn't say the words, but Daryl could hear them in his mind: _I don't know if anything can be more than that._

He remembered that night with her by the car and then in Atlanta, the things she'd said about wanting to be able to start over but not knowing if she could. They sat in companionable silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "This could be it," Daryl said lowly and careful as watched her, "A place to start over, finally."

Carol spoke so simply; not quite sharp enough to sound pessimistic but not quite dour enough to be glum, yet negative all the same, "Isn't that what they've all been? The CDC, the farm, the prison, Terminus, Richmond… each time people thought they might be something good for us, some new start, and look how that turned out."

Her words stung. Daryl's brow furrowed as he tried to pinpoint when this had all begun, when she'd lost her hope. He supposed it had been the loss of her daughter, Sophia- even now, for him, thinking of her sent a pang through his heart- and yet he remembered that at the prison it had seemed like she was trying again. Trying to move on, trying to grow stronger, trying to _live_. He didn't know if he could pinpoint when that had changed again. Perhaps it was the Governor, or maybe it was the deadly illness that had forced her to drastic measures. Perhaps something he had missed entirely, too wrapped up in his own issues to consider those of others.

Whenever it had happened- if it had even been one single thing and not the combined pile up of event after event- there was no doubt she had changed. There was no denying that Carol had very little hope, if any at all. He could remember how that felt, especially today, when the memory of almost losing Beth over that ridge had sent the threat of that emptiness rearing up in the back of his mind once more. Daryl shifted in place, adjusting the strap of the crossbow so that his heavy weapon settled in its familiar place on his back. "Just 'cause those places didn't work out, don't mean this won't either. Gotta have a little faith, right? Or what's the point?"

Now it was Carol's turn to study him, examining his face with a faint furrow in her brow before she remarked, "There used to be a time I'd have been shocked to hear you say something like that. I never got a chance to ask you, back in Atlanta… what changed?"

Even as his head began to turn so his gaze could land again on silken blonde strands shining in the sunlight, the words flashed through his mind:_What changed your mind?_

Before he had a chance to put into words the enormity that was the answer to that question (moonshine and burning flames, fingers lacing through his own, the taste of peanut butter on his tongue, the feeling of breath grazing across his skin), Carol gave a soft hum and responded to herself, "I guess I don't need to ask that, do I?"

Daryl didn't recognize what he saw in her eyes. If he'd had to put a name to it he would have guessed it was something akin to jealousy. Not in a romantic way; he didn't for a moment think that Carol was jealous of Beth and the relationship the two of them shared. That wasn't who he and Carol were together, not even close. No, they were brother and sister, and maybe that was where the jealousy had taken root.

They were the siblings of similar situations; born of abuse and violence and tough circumstances, both of them rising for the ashes of their pasts to find their own strength, at least for a time. It was what had bonded them in the first place, but it was also the cause of the change between them now, because Daryl had kept on rising. He'd found hope and goodness in the world through Beth, through the warmth of the light she carried within her and shone onto him until he slowly began to see it around him as well. Even in the darkness he'd been in without her, he had never given up. He had chosen to keep on trying to help himself, to save himself even as he'd tried to save her. He'd found even more hope in finding her again, in bonding with her. Together they had risen above their guilt and their pasts, or at least learned to live with what they couldn't rise above.

But not Carol. Every good thing she'd been given had been taken away; her daughter, her freedom, the prison, her hope for the future. If they were like siblings than he was the one who had gotten away from their bad life and moved hopefully ahead, while she was the one who was still stuck there, struggling through it and trying to make the best of a bad situation, but stuck nonetheless. Stuck in that dark place in her mind, unwilling or unable to pull herself up the way he did; unaware she needed help, or maybe unwilling or unable to ask for it even if she knew she needed it.

She was a proud woman, and he'd always admired her for that. _He_ had been proud of her after all, of the woman she had become after losing so much, after suffering so much. Maybe she'd become too proud; too proud to realize she had stalled, too proud to realize she needed help let alone to request it. Maybe she really had lost sight of who she was now, like she'd told him that day back in Atlanta. Maybe she just needed help figuring out who she was now, or who she could become.

Daryl kept his eyes on Beth, remembering the way she'd drawn him out of his shell from the start, without him even realizing it. He wasn't nearly as subtle as her but he was just as determined as she could be, in his own way. Especially when it came to his family. Family was everything to Daryl Dixon, even though he had once longed for a true family without even understanding what family could really be, let alone dreamed that he might find it someday, albeit unconventionally.

That was why he felt like he had to help her. She was family, just like Merle had been, only he'd been too late to help his brother, too late to drag him up out of the muck and show him something better. He wouldn't let that happen with Carol. He wouldn't lose her like he'd lost Merle. He wouldn't leave her behind.

"I reckon you have more hopeful things around than you realize." His words sounded more scornful than he had intended.

"Do you?" Carol sounded somewhat disbelieving, though that didn't surprise him.

"Yeah." He nodded ahead of them to their full family, spread out across the campsite. "Look at all of us. Alive, still surviving, still together. Ain't that hopeful? Look at _them_." He nodded briefly at the little group by the fire; Judy gurgling and laughing as she was bounced on Beth's lap, Carl smiling brighter than Daryl reckoned he'd seen the kid smile in weeks, and Beth, his own bright beam of hope and lightness in this shitty-ass world.

As if sensing her gaze on him she looked up and their eyes met, and the smile that spread across her lips lit up her face, putting to shame the actual rays of sun that shone on her from above. In an instant there was a smile on his own face that matched it, at least by his own standards. A quirk of his lips that was, for Daryl, practically a grin.

"That's yours," Carol said softly, drawing his attention back to the woman beside him. "It's your hope. It's not mine."

"S'yours, too. It's your family, Carol. The same family you risked everythin' to save, back at Terminus." He paused for a moment, remembering a dark evening that was a crystal clear memory in his mind despite the alcohol that had fueled it. He recalled the cool night air, moonshine warm in his belly and a sweet blonde girl across from him spilling truth from her lips as easily as the drops of moonshine had fallen from their upturned glasses:

_Well, you got away from it._  
><em>I didn't.<em>  
><em>You did.<em>  
><em>Maybe you got to keep on reminding me sometimes.<em>

With his own words echoing in his mind, Daryl said, "If I need to point it out to you again, I will." He looked over at her again, a firm set to his expression that hinted at the stubborn determination he was known for. "But I think you know that, deep down. S'why you're still here with us, why you haven't run off. Ain't no shame in needin' a reminder every once in awhile, though."

"Daryl…" The hint of exasperation in her voice told him he'd pushed this conversation about as far as he could, for now anyway. Carol was enough like him that he could tell when that point had been reached, when anything else he'd said would just irritate her more. It was better to leave her with this, to give her time to let it sink in same as he'd needed time for Beth's words to sink into his mind, too. Like stones tossed in the center of a pond and drifting slowly to the bottom, leaving ripples of change in their wake.

"Just remember at least that I ain't givin' up on you." He took slow steps away from the trailer, but paused to cast a glance over his shoulder at her. "I meant what I said, a while back. You an' me, we can _both_ start over. I ain't gonna let you get left behind. Alright?"

Daryl didn't expect much, but the slight nod he got from her was something. It was a start. A spark, even. That was all he needed, for now.

Leaving Carol behind to hopefully muse over their conversation, he let himself get pulled by the gravity he always felt surrounding Beth; the pull that drew his eyes to watch her, his feet to move towards her, his hands to touch her. She saw or sensed him coming and looked up to meet his gaze with a warm smile that only increased the tug of that gravity on his core, and by the time he reached her side he knew he was smiling too.

"Hey," he murmured in simple greeting, offering Carl a nod when the boy seemed to (conveniently) decide to get up and head towards where his Dad was on watch.

Beth gave him a warm smile as she held Judith under her arms, bouncing the baby on her legs to get her to try and stand a bit. "I think we carry her too much," she remarked, slipping into conversation as easily as she always did. "She should be pulling herself up by now, or learning to, but these last couple months it feels like all we do is carry her around, you know? And it's not like she's got familiar rooms and furniture to learn with."

He saw a faint furrow appear in her brow, but Beth didn't seem too upset, at least not about Judy. Instead she just nodded decisively. "We'll all just have to keep working on it. Helping her stand, giving her things to pull herself up with." She looked up at Daryl with another sweet smile, and added, "You know, she's gonna be a year old soon… I think in another month. There was a calendar back at Richmond. Sasha and I both wrote down the dates just so we can keep track again. Anyway, she'll probably say her first word pretty soon. Most babies do by the time they're a year old."

As if to punctuate that, Judith plopped down on her butt and then cooed something in a voice that rose and fell like adult speech, but was mostly still just random sounds, "_Ba ba, pa pa ta-bi bi bi_."

He wasn't sure what was cuter, Judy, or the way Beth instantly replied back in a sweet voice, "Yes, that's right sweet girl. You want something? Tell me what you want, angel."

With her hands free, Judy looked at Daryl and stretched her hands out before babbling, "Mi-mi da-da-_DA_-da."

"Do you want _Daryl_, sweet pea?" He had no idea if the da-da-da sounds were really about him or if Beth was just assuming, but either way it made him chuckle. Besides, Lil' Asskicker really was reaching for him so after a moment he scooped her up and pulled her into his lap where she happily cooed and babbled away some more.

He tried to bounce her a bit the way she seemed to like lately, but Judith seemed much more interested in reaching up for his hair, curling her chubby baby fist around it and tugging until he bit back a curse. "Lil' Assk- _Judy_'s got a damn strong grip."

"She likes playing with hair." He could feel her eyes lingering on him, but didn't look up at her until she playfully reached out and tugged on a lock of his hair herself to tease, "I can see why."

He'd expected to see playfulness and teasing in her eyes when he looked up, and he did, but there was something more, too. Something warm and affectionate as she watched him holding Judy, bouncing the baby lightly in his lap as she tried to squirm and reach his dark strands of hair. The way she was looking at him, her eyes full of a depth of emotion and love and want, was something that might have terrified him in the past. Not now. Now he just met her gaze steadily, holding it for a long moment until a smirk twitched at his lips and his hand snaked around to tug at the little braid in her ponytail.

"Hey!" She squirmed away from him with a giggle that he met with another low, rumbling chuckle.

"Don't dish it out if you can't take it, Greene." With her laughter lightening the hint of worry that had cast a pall over him in the wake of his conversation with Carol, Daryl was content to just sit there with her for a moment, playing with Judy and occasionally ducking the grasping hands of _both_ his girls.

It was a few minutes after he'd tugged Beth's braid another time and her latest round of laughter had eased into companionable silence that she gently asked, "Is everything okay with Carol?"

Though his brow faintly furrowed, the pall didn't return. He'd found that it was hard to stay worried too long when Beth was around. It was as if her very nature, so full of hope and goodness as it was, shone bright enough to chase away even the wispiest hint of clouds that threatened to bring down his mood. So it was easier for him to reply after a moment, "She has her demons she's dealing with. Don't we all?"

Beth's only reply was a hum, but she didn't have to say more when it came to that question. He knew her demons about as well as he knew his own, because there were few things now that they didn't share between them, including the different shapes the darkness took when it crept into their thoughts to try and take hold. He also wasn't surprised that she reached her hand out to slightly graze the tips of her fingers over his arm as she asked with concern, "Are _you_ okay?"

He studied her face for a moment, drinking in the way the sunlight shown on her hair and made her cornflower blue eyes sparkle at him in contrast to the concern he saw within them. Daryl gave her a slow but sure nod just before he ducked his head out of the way of Judith's grasping hand one more time. Though he was quiet, he let his free hand find hers where it rested on his leg, gently brushing his fingers over the smooth back of her hand for just a few seconds before pulling away.

The contact steadied him even as her presence had. He needed that, because while it was hard to fully feel his worry when he was around her, the conversation with Carol had been jarring for him in some regards, not the least of which because the darkness he'd seen in her had brought up the specter of Merle in his mind. He didn't want the idea of losing another sibling to take up root in his mind. He refused to let it happen again. But there wasn't much he could do now that he hadn't just done. It would take time, and hopefully he would have plenty of that. For now he just had to focus on himself and, of course, Beth.

"Was thinkin'," he said after a moment, his voice a bit gruff, "Maybe in a bit we can head off on our own. Do some huntin' or just see what else is around here. Prob'ly more campsites in the woods, maybe some supplies or somethin'."

He'd spoken hesitantly, but he hadn't needed to. As soon as he spoke, Beth just gave him an easy smile and a nod. "That sounds perfect." He knew she understood every facet of why he'd suggested it; his need to provide, the peace he felt in the woods, the privacy that both of them often craved. Of course she understood. Beth always understood.

...

A half hour later, with Judith securely in her father's lap and Carl assigned the important job of finding wood they could turn into arrows (and thus helpfully distracted from coming with them), Beth and Daryl set off on their own into the woods surrounding the campground.

He could feel the tension easing from his shoulders with each step they took deeper into the trees. It never failed. Though simply being in her presence was a refuge to him, there was something similar he felt when easing into the woods and there always had been. The sounds of people faded and the still quiet was punctuated instead by the soft rustling of trees or the chattering of birds. Everything made sense in the woods. Everything was simpler, so much easier to understand than anything involving people. It had always been like this for him and that had only become more true when he had Beth at his side as well. Daryl had no doubt it was the same for her; he could see the calm ease stealing over her now as it did every time they were like this.

"I hope wherever we end up settling, it's got plenty of woods around it." Beth slung her crossbow carefully over her back, the strap pulling tight against her chest as she flashed him a smile and she went on, "I don't think you and I would be happy otherwise."

He hummed his agreement, and added after a moment, "Plus it'd be good for defense, and for hunting."

"Always thinking practically." She gave him another smile, this one teasing. Her arm brushed his but neither of them made a move to touch each other more than that. This wasn't like their frantic rush into the woods yesterday after he'd nearly lost her over the ridge. Despite their desire for time alone, both of them were focused on the task at hand, looking for signs on the ground and through the foliage ahead even as Beth filled the silence with her soft voice.

They moved in a vague half-circle, planning on heading round the edges of the camp where they might find other abandoned campsites. In fact, when Beth perked up beside him with a soft 'oh!' he thought perhaps she'd spotted a campsite, but instead she hurried up to several large bushes and flashed a grin over her shoulder at him.

"Look, Daryl, blueberries!" She plucked one from the bush and popped it between her lips with a hum of pleasure. "Mmm. It's almost late for these, but they're good. We should bring some back for the others…"

He saw her falter for just a moment and he knew she was remembering the same thing he did; the first time the pair of them had been alone together, Beth pulling berries from a bush almost just like this (_they'll be hungry when we find them_), collecting them to feed to the children they later found dead on the railroad tracks. His understanding was silent and so was his reassurance as he came up behind her and gently pressed one hand to her lower back as his other hand came up to pluck a berry from the tree and pop it between his own lips.

"Mm." He chewed thoughtfully for a moment and when he finally spoke his voice was low and almost casual, surprising given what he was saying. "Used to have some bushes like this in the woods 'round where I lived when I was a kid. Plucked a whole bunch of 'em once and carried 'em back to my Ma, holding out the bottom of my shirt to carry 'em in. Shoulda seen the smile on her face when I offered them up to her. Like it was the best thing she'd seen in weeks."

It probably had been. He remembered it had been a bad week for her; his Pa had been getting drunk every night and when he was on a bender like that the anger always came quicker, the slaps and punches harder. How long had it been since anyone had given his Ma somethin' that wasn't painful, somethin' that didn't leave a mark on her easily-bruised skin? A shirtful of blueberries really must've seemed like the sweetest thing ever to her, then. Especially considering she'd been just on the pleasant side of tipsy when he'd shown up with them.

Now he was the one shifting into bad memories and Beth was the one just as easily sliding her hand up his back as she rested her cheek to his shoulder. "I bet she loved it," she said softly. That was all she said, but simple remarks were best when it came to his divulging his own past and Beth knew that just as well as she knew how to move them past that moment now that it had been acknowledged.

"Did I ever tell you the story about when I got lost blueberry picking?" She looked up at him with an amused smile; she hadn't even begun the story yet and he already felt the darkness easing. "Well I was about ten, so I think Shawn was twelve or thirteen or so and Maggie was sixteen..." Together they pulled a clean spare black shirt from her bag and began to load it carefully with blueberries from the bush. As they worked, Beth's lilting sweet voice filled the air with the story of how her family had gone to see some family friends on their berry farm, and pick blueberries in the massive blueberry patch they owned and operated.

Daryl laughed as she animatedly talked about wandering off into the blueberry bushes after spotting what she'd thought was a bunny running down one of the rows (he wasn't surprised, that sounded just like her) and ended up completely lost in the massive fields and then the forest that bordered it.

"So it must have been a half hour later or something, and I come stumbling out of the woods missing a shoe, twigs in my hair, just in time to spot my Daddy and Shawn standing by the truck. They were loading up firewood they'd chopped down and there I was running at them from the woods just hollering in excitement. They just looked _completely_ bewildered, and for good reason. Not only had they had no idea I'd gone missing, but it turned out I'd crossed to like, the complete opposite side of the property. Several acres of woods or something like that, and I just happened to come out exactly where they'd been working."

She shook her head and the little laugh she gave bubbled up around her. "You should've _seen_ Mama and Maggie's faces when Daddy and Shawn pulled up with me beside them. They'd gone all frantic looking for me and there I was, grinning like I'd just had the best adventure ever."

He nudged her with his arm as he settled the last couple blueberries into the shirt, and then snorted with amusement. "Sounds about right for you. Little troublemaker, hm?"

"Hey, I was not! I was an angel." She stuck her tongue out and crinkled her nose at him, but only for a moment before she amended, "Well, mostly. I was curious, that was half my problem as a kid. I wanted to investigate _everything_."

Daryl hummed at that; she was still curious now. Curious and observant and clever… Something occurred to him after a moment, and he gave a snort of amusement. "Found your way through acres of woods right to your Dad, hm? See, you were training for me even then."

The look she gave him right then caught him entirely off guard. Behind the amusement and mirth was that same depth of love and caring again that echoed in his own heart and warmed him to his core, especially when she murmured, "Sometimes I wonder if some small part of me wasn't always readying itself for you."

When he only hummed in question, she went on, "Everything I've gone through, everything you've gone through… You know, it made us who we are. It's a part of why we work so well together." She trailed to a stop and looked up at him with a smile that was full of love again but also with a hint of amusement. "You know, you should probably kiss me before I start getting too sappy."

He only hesitated a moment before he leaned in, easing his lips over hers in a soft kiss that lingered once he got the taste of her on his lips again and couldn't help but ache for more. When he finally drew back both of them sucked in a hitching breath, and Daryl knew his own eyes had darkened with need the same as hers had. But instead of kissing her again he just brought his hand up and cupped her face so his thumb could graze along the line of her jaw as he murmured, "Don't mind when you get a little sappy." The corner of his mouth twitched up in a little smirk. "Don't much mind kissin' you either, though."

A flash of that playfulness went through her eyes again as she shot back, "Oh you don't _mind_ kissing me, hm? So I guess you don't mind _not_kissing me, then?"

What flashed through his eyes in that moment was darker, almost primal as he gave her a glimpse of the need that simmered constantly under the surface of his skin; held at bay only by years and years of hard-earned control that allowed no emotion to flash across his features. He let her see what he held back out of habit, the same need she must have seen in him every time they made love, every time he kissed her, every time that desperation took over like it had yesterday in their frantic lovemaking against the ground.

His thumb grazed over her cheek just below the dark line of her scar as he said in a half-growl that rumbled in his chest, "I _always_ mind not kissin' you."

The look she gave him now, playful and feisty and full of that same desire, was on a long, long list of things he loved about Beth Greene, right there alongside the voice she used as she teased back simply, "I know. Me too. _All_ the time."

Daryl almost wanted to kiss her right there. Kiss her until they fell to their knees in front of the blueberry brambles, until she was panting and gasping beneath him and giving those soft sweet moans he loved so much. For now he just settled for brushing his lips against hers one more time, gentle and loving, before he carefully folded up the shirt full of berries and wedged it gingerly into her bag. "C'mon." All that gave away the desire he was ignoring for now was the roughness in his voice and the look in his eyes, but he knew she saw all of that. He could see the same look in her eyes too, as she gently brushed her fingers against the back of his hand and walked alongside him ahead into the forest.

...

The blueberries weren't the only thing they found on their slow circular exploration around the campgrounds. They found two more small campsites; one tent torn down by what looked like the walker that had been inside, and one completely abandoned. At the first they managed to scavenge a canteen and a cast-iron pan, as well as a collapsible bucket. At the second they rolled up the sleeping bag and took down the tent; they were planning on packing up all the tents they could find and storing them in the RV which, to everyone's delight, had proved to still be running (and a lot better than the piece of shit one they'd had back before the farm).

With their new load, Daryl knew it was almost time to go back. Having their hands too full would only put them at risk. But his instincts told him to keep pushing for a little bit longer. He didn't figure out why until they entered into a small clearing close to the road that ran down from the ridge to the lake. A small yellow tent sat in the clearing, but that wasn't what caught his eyes. No. What his gaze fixed on was the shape leaned against a nearby tree, covered in a dark green tarp. From beneath the edge of the plastic he could just see a glint of metal, the hint of a wheel…

"Ain't no way…" He strode across the clearing, hesitating only for a moment before grabbing the edge of the tarp and whisking it off to reveal exactly what he'd thought it was.

A motorcycle.

"Whoa." Beth came up beside him, holding a sleeping bag in one hand as her wide eyes drank in the sight of it. At least that confirmed he wasn't the only one seeing this right now. He hesitantly reached out and brushed his hand over the seat as Beth asked in a slightly-breathless voice, "It doesn't look much like your old one…"

"Nope." He moved slowly around the edge, inspecting the leather seat and the tires. "This baby is custom-built. Looks like it was a Scrambler to start, but whoever owned this beauty outfitted her for the terrain. High mounted exhaust, widened handle bars, off-road tires, army green paint t' help it blend in… _Damn_."

Daryl heard a breathy chuckle besides him and stopped in his caressing of the bike's wide handlebars to look over at Beth. She pursed her lips to blow a strand of blond hair out of her eyes and flashed him a teasing little smirk as she said, "Gonna make me jealous, talking about the bike like that."

He couldn't help the chuckle that rumbled through him as he reached out, snaked an arm around her waist, and dragged her close, right against his side. "She's a beauty but you're my girl, alright? This bike doesn't come close. Still is sweet though…" He ran his hand over the seat once more and whistled. "Bike like this is built for these mountains and forests. Bet she rides real good, too."

"So I guess we know what the important question is…"

As Beth pressed against his side, Daryl looked down at her and raised a quizzical eyebrow until she just smiled and finished in three deceptively simple words, "Does she run?"

****A/N: SQUEAL? Okay so maybe the end of the chapter is my favorite bit, even if I did leave it on a tiny cliffhanger. By the way if you're curious, this is the bike that Daryl and Beth just found, and yes, it is very sexy: **tinyurl (.) com/nzncj9u**Just enjoy that visual image for a bit as you wait for the next chapter. Reviews and follows are love, thanks again to everyone who stuck around for this sequel!**


	3. Nothing I Want More

"Does she run?"

Only few seconds passed between Beth asking the question and the smile that crossed his lips, and then Daryl responded, "Let's find out." Simple as that, but of course it was. Neither of them would have let a find like this pass even if there hadn't been a history to it. Even if Beth wasn't looking at that bike and knowing that Daryl was remembering the one he'd had to leave behind.

She watched as Daryl rummaged around the bike for the keys, finally finding them tucked away in a bag strapped to the back. As he dangled them from his fingers, he looked at her and said pointedly, "But just for a few seconds if it works, okay? We don't want the noise to get us in trouble."

Beth knew he was right. In the back of her mind a voice whispered that maybe they should both be more careful, but that damn bike had just appeared there like some kind of sign, and she understood it was as big a deal to him as it was to her. He'd had to leave behind his brother's bike at the prison and while he'd never once mentioned it, considering what else they'd both lost, she knew it had upset him. She knew it had been the last thing he'd had of Merle and his past, and that had mattered even if his past hadn't been that good.

(And okay, so there was also a part of her that looked at that bike and imagined sliding onto it behind him and pressing close and wrapping her arms around him, and yeah, that was pretty damn nice too and definitely factoring in right now.)

Beth let the sleeping bag fall to the ground and her bow hang loose in her hand as Daryl reached around, slid the key into it's slot, and turned it in the ignition. For a few tense second, nothing happened at all and she thought that was it. It wouldn't have been surprising, the bike had been sitting out here for something like two years, even if it had been under a tarp. But then he twisted the key one more time, and this time they were rewarded by the revving of the motorcycle engine turning over.

"It works!" She practically squealed her excitement and bounced in place even as he quickly turned it off. The best part was seeing the excitement mirrored in his eyes as he turned towards her, because it lit up his face in a way she just loved and all she could think about was closing the gap between them and pressing her lips to his...

And then, unexpectedly, his eyes fixed on something behind her and went wide. "Beth, look out!" In a second she could see his two instincts at war; his hand twitching with the urge to pull her to safety behind him, even as the rest of him, the part of him that trusted her, resisted the urge. In compromise she spun around, lifting her bow and instantly closing in on his side just in time to see a walker lurch out of the tent that they, like idiots, hadn't checked first.

Luckily the damn thing was slow; it must have been trapped in there all this time, just waiting for a sound to wake it. Seconds before the clearing had been so peaceful, trees faintly stirring in the mid-day breeze, sun dappling the ground from where it streamed down through the trees. Now, that peacefulness was marred by a deadly figure that lurched towards them, head tilted at an unnatural angle, rotted mouth snapping and yawing as it groaned raggedly in hunger. Something about it just made her shiver, and Beth didn't realize what it was until Daryl raised his bow and shot it through the head in one clean shot.

Only as it fell to the ground did she get a good look at the leather jacket and the worn (bloodstained) jeans, and she couldn't help giving a little shiver at how similar the walker looked to the man next to her. It was instinctual for her to turn towards him, even as he drawled, "Stupid. Should've checked first." He took one look at her face and Beth saw concern and worry instantly flood his eyes. "You okay, Beth?"

She didn't need to answer, even if she'd been able to. Beth just stepped close to him and let his free arm slide around her waist as she tipped her forehead against his chest and just breathed in the scent of him, familiar and comforting (and alive). "S'okay," he murmured, his lips brushing against her hair. "That ain't gonna be me. Just like you ain't gonna be fallin' over no cliffs, right?"

Somehow it made her smile. Maybe that wasn't so surprising given how a dark sense of humor had taken it's place in the world they lived in now. "Right," she murmured back, and after a moment she tipped her head up and pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips. His embrace and his nearness were just what she needed to remind herself that everything was okay, that he wasn't the walker sprawled on the ground beside their feet.

"C'mon," Daryl went on after a moment, only the hint of roughness in his voice giving away that he felt the same worry she had even as he kept them moving, knowing that would keep their minds off things."Let's check out his tent and then walk this bike back to camp. Gonna give everyone a nice surprise with our haul, I bet."

...

He was right, it did turn out to be a good surprise. The group would have been happy with just the tent and sleeping bag and other supplies they'd found, but the bike got people more excited than she'd expected, especially the few of them still left from the prison and prior. They grinned at the sight of it and Beth found herself laughing as they stood there with Rick slapping Daryl on the back and Carl darting around the bike, half dancing in excitement and half trying to look cool about wanting a ride on it.

Eventually Rick lead Carl off and as she heard Rick telling him that _maybe_ he could get a ride if Daryl said it was okay and if they were careful, Beth turned to Daryl beside her and leaned in close. "What about me?" She let her lips curve up into a playful smile that just bordered on flirtatious, even with people nearby watching. "Do I get a ride on this?"

Beth could see the look in his eyes, like he was gonna say something a little dirtier only to realize they had somewhat of an audience. But that was okay. She could see it on his face and she knew that _he_ could see the little smirk that crossed her lips and the faint flush on her cheeks as she leaned into him for just a moment. Only once she saw the return smirk pull at the corner of his mouth did Beth give him a slightly less tempting thing to respond to, "I always kinda wanted to ride your bike, you know. Back at the prison especially. Sometimes I'd watch you when you'd come back from a run on it and wish I could beg for a ride, but I knew Daddy would never let me."

Daryl studied her for a moment, and she saw him dart a glance out of the corner of his eyes before he ran his fingers lightly over her forearm and admitted, "I probably would have let you sneak out on a ride with me, if we coulda managed it. Not that I'd have wanted to risk your Dad gettin' mad, but I don't think I'd have been able to resist a little Beth Greene rebellion."

Though she giggled and stuck her tongue out at him, Beth couldn't quite shake the image of getting to ride behind him on his bike; wrapping her arms around him and pressing her face to his back...

"Hey," he murmured, softening his voice so no one else could hear as he leaned in a bit. "I don't plan on ridin' this bike without you, okay? So I guess you'll get that chance after all, even if it is a little less rebellious."

"We can always pretend," she teased, letting her fingers briefly play with the edge of his vest. "You know, that you're taking me on an illicit bike ride, or something."

"Illicit, huh? What, I sneak you out of the farm or somethin', ride off with you?"

A grin crossed her lips as a giggle bubbled up from her chest to spill free. "Yeah, exactly like that. Think we could give that a try?"

For once he seemed to not mind the eyes on him as he gently tucked his fingers under her chin and brushed his thumb over her jaw. He didn't say anything, but she could see the promise in his eyes, the look that said something like: _Anything, for you_.

The only thing that could pull them apart just then was a whistle from behind them as Glenn walked by, teasing him with a clucking of his tongue and a shake of his head. But even as she rolled her eyes at him and drew back, the warmth of Daryl's fingers lingered on her skin just as the thoughts of riding on that bike with him clung to her mind.

...

She didn't get a chance to try until the next day when they decided to leave this campsite behind and move on. With the RV running (thanks to some fiddling by Daryl), they had a place to store most of their supplies. No one had wanted to leave the silver trailer behind if they could avoid it and luckily another search around found a truck parked down by the lake, sheltered under wooden overhang from the elements and still working. None of the other cars they'd found had been functioning, but they'd been able to siphon out some of the gas which meant they could keep the vehicles they did have going for a bit.

She and Daryl stood by his bike at the front of the group, right at the top of the road that lead down from the ridge. Behind them, Rick was driving the truck with Carl and Michonne beside him, and Noah, his mother Alberta, Ivy, Hank in the silver trailer. Behind them, Glenn was driving the RV with Maggie and Carol next to him and Tara and Rosita and Eugene in the back.

It was a caravan of sorts, one that looked so similar to the caravan the group'd had back before they'd come to the farm that Beth could almost see the memories in the eyes of the few people that had been around then; Carol, Daryl, Rick, Glenn, and Carl. Every once in awhile she'd see one of them look around at the line of vehicles with an expression that was just slightly haunted.

Like right now, she could see that look in Daryl's eyes when she caught up looking back over the train and faintly frowning. Beth couldn't resist coming up next to him to run her hand down his back right between those worn and dirtied (but still very present) angel wings. "You okay?" She murmured the words softly near his ear, and offered him a reassuring smile. It didn't surprise her when he didn't reply to her out loud; she could read the expression in his eyes and knew the memories were weighing on his mind a bit.

The caravan they'd lost then was all tied up in that little girl, the one who had ended up in their barn right alongside her Mama. Beth couldn't help but think that it must have been heavy on his mind still as he remembered the struggles he'd gone through to find her. Though conscious of the people behind them, she wanted to give him the comfort she knew he needed. Beth turned a bit to keep her back to the others and then leaned in to press her lips to his shoulder, brushing them against the flannel of his shirt and resting there for a moment before she said softly, "Just remember what we're moving towards. It can be better, you know?"

When he hummed in reply she looked up at him and saw a hint of the tension ease away even as that glimpse of his love for her warmed his eyes, and so she knew it was okay to add teasingly, "You can also think about how I get to ride on your bike with you now."

It only took a second for a hint of a smile to shift the haunting memories from his face and light up the blue eyes she loved so much. Beth matched his faint smile with a brighter one of her own as Daryl drawled, "That's true. So what're you waitin' for, girl?"

She watched, thoroughly distracted by the sight of him moving to straddle that bike and settle onto it with both feet braced on the ground. "I dunno, I mean I kinda feel like I could just stand here and watch you like that for a bit, y'know?"

Daryl smirked, but nodded back behind him. "You can watch later, if y' want. Come on, girl, get on. Unless you're a chicken?"

"I'm _never_ a chicken." She took a step towards him, and as her leg swung up she added softly, "At least not when it comes to you, Mr. Dixon."

Settling behind him on the bike felt just as good as she'd imagined. Beth pressed right up against his back, fitting herself against him close enough that she could feel his slight inhale of breath as her arms slid around his waist. She shifted so her chin was on his shoulder and her lips were by his ear, murmuring right against the curved shell of it, "How's that feel?"

Daryl's chuckle vibrated through her and she grinned as he responded, "Feels like you're gonna distract me way too much doing that, girl." Even though the idea of distracting him right now was fun, Beth had all the intention to be good while they were driving, especially when he spoke again with just a hint of worry in his voice, "You hold on tight, alright?"

Beth's lips brushed lightly over his neck as she murmured, "Promise." No matter how good it felt pressing her lips to his skin or teasing him, Beth would never put either of them at risk. She lingered there for just a moment before she shifted to rest her cheek against his back. The leather of his vest was already warm from the sun and she hummed in pleasure as her arms tightened around his waist.

It was perfect even before he turned the key and she felt the engine rumbling beneath her and right between her thighs. Daryl revved the engine and Beth squealed in his ear, and the laughter that rumbled up from his chest echoed back behind her as he shifted his foot off the gear and took off.

They couldn't go fast, of course. They were leading the group down the mountain road, so it wasn't a highway they could race on. But that didn't matter to Beth. The wind was in her hair and the engine was vibrating beneath her and Daryl was so warm and firm where she was pressed up against him, and all she could do was tip her head back and _laugh_ as her hair streamed out behind her. Besides being with Daryl (of course) it was the best damn thing she'd felt in ages, and she couldn't get enough.

It was almost two hours of driving like that, through narrow mountain roads that involves careful negotiating (they'd already had to re-plan slightly with the addition of the RV and trailer), but they were still going at a brisk enough pace. By the time they stopped and climbed off the back, Beth was still flushed with adrenaline but also shivering faintly from the constant cool air as she stepped onto the ground.

"How'd you like that ride then, girl?" Daryl turned to look at her and she could see the instant his light flirtation turned to worry and darkened his blue eyes. "You cold? You're shivering…"

Funnily, the concern in his voice only made her shiver more. "I'm okay," she said instantly, "That was _amazing_. I mean okay yeah I'm a little cold, but don't think you can use that to talk me out of riding with you again!"

"Wouldn't dream of it." He climbed off the bike slowly, which gave her plenty of time to be distracted by the fact that he looked just as good climbing off of it as he did onto it. She was so distracted that she didn't even notice what he was doing until he'd slipped off his vest and begun to undo the flannel shirt he was wearing.

"Daryl! What-"

"Don't argue." He raised an eyebrow, sensing she was going to anyway. "I'm fine in just this t-shirt. I stay warm longer than you." He looked her over and smirked a bit. "You're just too damn tiny." As he stepped closer, he shifted to sling the flannel around her, his face just inched from hers as he murmured, "Not that I'm complainin'."

With a slow pleased smile she slipped her arms into the sleeves of the flannel, humming contentedly at the way the scent of him surrounded her the instant it was on. The flannel was unexpected enough, but when she looked up and saw him offering up the vest, Beth's eyes went wide. "Oh no, that's yours!"

"C'mon." This time when he stepped close again, his voice was lower. "Y'think I haven't imagined you in this, again and again?"

"Again and again, hm?" She stepped a bit closer and smiled up at him.

"Well, at least a few times." As they both chuckled, Daryl took the time to slip the vest around and over her back, holding it there until she slipped her arms into it. "Now let me see how it looks, Greene."

As she heard the sounds of the other doors opening behind her where the rest of their little motorcade had pulled to the side for a break, Beth settled the vest over his warm flannel shirt. Tugging lightly on the lapels, she gave a slow turn, showing off for him and letting him get a good look at her in it, especially the back where the angel wings now rested against her thin frame.

Looking over her shoulder at him, Beth could see the emotions darkening his eyes. It was the same way he'd looked all that time ago back at the funeral home, except so much more now that she could put word to it all; love, affection, hope, desire…

"S'perfect," Daryl murmured lowly, coming up behind her so that he could look down into her eyes as his hands rested lightly on her waist. "The wings're better on you."

"No." She shook her head and didn't once break her gaze as she murmured back to him, "Never. I'll borrow them for a bit, but these wings are always yours, baby." With a soft, understanding smile she added, "Even if you don't feel like you deserve 'em."

"I-" Before she could find out what he was opening his mouth to say, another whistle rang out behind them, and Beth rolled her eyes as she turned on Glenn again, peering around Daryl's body to scold, "You know, one of these times you're gonna call walkers on us whistling like that, Glenn! I hope you remember this, then."

"What?" He held up his hand in a 'who, me?' gesture, even as Maggie walked by shaking her head. "I'm just admiring your new vest. I'm amazed, you know, by this point I thought it was glued to his body or something!"

"Hah, hah," Daryl drawled next to her, giving an eye roll that said he was mildly annoyed but a hint of a smirk that said he was mostly amused. She really could read him like a book sometimes, and the thought pulled her right away from teasing Glenn and back to Daryl as she ran her fingers up his arm without even caring that people were watching.

"I'd say maybe we should let you guys have the trailer for a bit, you know, privacy and all, but I have a feeling Daryl isn't gonna wanna leave his new second girlfriend." When Glenn's teasing remark got an eyebrow raise from Beth, he gestured to the bike and said, "You know, Dixie there."

"Dixie?" Daryl crossed his arms over his chest and arched a brow as he looked down at Glenn. "You ain't namin' my bike, Glenn. You definitely ain't naming it _Dixie_."

"Come on, you don't want a new girlfriend named Dixie?" Beth could tell Glenn was enjoying himself from the grin on his lips and he stuck his hands in his pockets and kept on teasing, "That's a nice Southern belle name, or something."

Intent on diffusing the situation- or more like just messing with Glenn- Beth tugged on her vest and shifted to perch sideways on the bike, resting one hand on the handbars and the other on the seat as she stretched her legs out in front of her. "Glenn's just jealous he doesn't get to ride anything as good as this." The undertone to her words hadn't been intentionally, though Daryl picked up on it anyway and she saw the glint in his eyes as he came around behind her where he could run his hand up her back under his vest.

The moment she hummed contentedly, Glenn made a face. "Enough with the PDA already! Geez, the two of you. First it's touching each other's backs and holding hands, next thing you know I'll have to watch you kissing each other's cheeks."

She would have teased him some more but he was already walking off, leaving Beth free to tip her head back against Daryl's chest where he stood behind her and look up at him with a soft smile. "I like our PDA."

His fingers came up, the rough pads brushing lightly across her cheek as he tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and murmured, "Me too."

And really, that was all that mattered.

...

Eventually they made their way down into North Carolina, Beth and Daryl on the bike (whose name was _not_ Dixie), Beth's hair streaming out behind her like a flag above the faded angel wings on the vest she still wore, leading the way for the RV and the truck-pulled trailer behind them.

They made camp at night, sometimes just off to the side of the forest roads, once at a run-down cabin they found. Eventually they stopped for a couple days at another camp-site; there were a few of them up in the mountains they were traveling through, and most times they were secluded, near water, and occasionally had supplies they could take. This one didn't sit on a ridge like the first one, which Daryl seemed happy with.

She'd gotten distracted a bit talking to Noah's mother about what she was planning on making or dinner; the woman had quickly taken over the role of camp cook, which was fine with everyone considering none of them were nearly as good as her, and Alberta seemed to really need a job to call hers. Beth could understand that. She knew how having tasks that were yours could make you feel more like you belonged.

The only problem with Alberta (which was really more Beth's problem than the woman's own) was that she tended to be very touchy-feely. In general Beth couldn't fault her for that, but the woman was new to their group on top of not really having the experiences to understand what they'd all gone through. It made it harder for Beth to get through to her that she didn't really like the constant touches, and the way Alberta would run her hand down Beth's arm and back, let alone the attempted hugs. She did her best to duck out of as many as she could, but eventually it began to get to her.

Her chest was a bit tight as she finally left the woman behind to work with the squirrels she and Daryl had managed to catch while checking around the campsite today. Feeling that tension within her and knowing exactly what she needed to ease it, Beth made her way through the camp in search of her partner. There were Tara and Rosita together by the edge of the woods; Rosita was technically on guard but these days Tara was almost always at her side. They had been friendly before, but something about the loss of Abraham seemed to have bonded them even tighter.

As she rounded the camper, Beth saw Noah and Ivy sitting on the steps of the trailer; the two of them always put a smile on her lips. Something about the way they casually linked their hands or leaned into each other just reminded her of how it felt, waking up in the hospital to Daryl holding her hand. She knew that so much of her moving past the trauma she'd experienced was due to her own hard work at it, but a good part of her ability to manage that hard work came from having Daryl to rely on. She was just glad Noah and Ivy had found someone to rely on, too.

It was Rick, currently kneeling on the ground and holding up Judith under her arms to get her to use her legs, who told her that he'd seen Daryl wheel off the bike to work on it a bit, over behind the RV. Sure enough when she rounded the corner of the large RV there he was, on his knees beside the bike, grease on his hands that he kept wiping off with a spare bandanna, to no avail. Just that first sight of him had the knot of tension in her chest easing faintly.

It was a semi-warm day for once, the kinda day they all wanted to enjoy while they could since they knew it'd be getting cold soon. Daryl had stripped down to a t-shirt with his vest over it (they traded it on and off, though usually she only wore it when they were riding), and Beth took a moment to just admire him as he knelt there working on the bike, his arm muscles flexing under a faint sheen of sweat as he worked at the machinery.

With a smile on her lips she asked, "Need some help with that?"

He shaded his eyes against the mid-day sun, but a faint smile crossed his lips when he seemed to realize it was her. "You know anythin' about workin' on bikes, Greene?" The wry twist to his lips made it clear he figured she didn't.

"Nope. Although I did used to know one or two things about fixing Daddy's tractor." She came around beside him and dropped to her knees, and since no one was around she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his temple. Licking her lips at the faint salt of his sweat that lingered on her mouth, she drew back and added, "Besides, I think by now you know I'm pretty good at followin' directions. I'd be more than happy just to sit here and watch you, though."

"Oh yeah?" He quirked a knowing eyebrow at that, coaxing a faint little laugh from her lips.

"Yeah. There's just something about you working on a bike I like. You know, especially know that I can watch you without getting all flustered and embarrassed, like back at the prison…" She wasn't sure she'd meant to admit that she'd watched him sometimes, back at the prison. Her cheeks flushed faintly and if she wasn't mildly embarrassed, she'd have been amused that despite how close they were and how well she knew him, she could still find herself blushing around him.

"Back at the prison, hm?"

He gave her a look-over that had her smirking at him and leaning in to steal another kiss to his cheek this time. "Mhm. Maybe once or twice. But without a doubt, it's way better now." She looked down at the bike, and though none of it made sense she still ran her fingers over his arm with a little hum.

Daryl hummed gently at the touch, but that smirk still tugged at his lips a little as he asked, "Why's it better now?"

Beth grinned. "Cause I can look _and_ touch, if I want."

"Well," Daryl gave her a look from the corner of his eyes now as he ran his hand over the wheel of the bike. "I thought you wanted t' help me with this bike. I don't think touchin' _me_ is gonna help keep her in good shape."

She was pretty much always smiling when she was with Daryl, but their banter was one of the things she liked the most. It always came when they were alone together; just like it had started back in the woods after the prison, just the two of them. Then it had been the sporadic bright spot in those long lonely days and now it was more frequent, but just as fun. Especially because now she could lean in and press a kiss to his arm just beneath the line of his sleeve, feeling his sun-warmed skin beneath her lips before she breathed out, "What if I promise to be good?"

He gave her a look that said something like 'you, good?', but when Beth gave her best angelic smile in return, he snorted and nodded. "Alright. If you're good. Now c'mere, lemme show you how to check air pressure of the tires, and how to look for any cracks or wore-down spots."

As they worked, they were always touching. His hand rested over hers to guide them, hers brushed against his as she did her best to help him. They were pressed together at their sides; knees, thighs, hips, arms brushing occasionally as he leaned in or she leaned with him. Despite the constant contact and how it warmed her body, Beth did her best to stay mostly serious, because she knew that despite his banter and flirtation, this was something serious for Daryl. And she wanted to learn, too. She always wanted to learn. Especially when working like this helped the tension to melt away even more; not just because she was with him (he always made her feel better, but he wasn't a cure-all), but because she was doing something and keeping busy and distracted. Beth had learned on her own and through the work they'd been doing that finding something to keep herself busy was a good way to help manage some of her tension.

But there was no denying the smile that remained on Beth's lips or the flush of heat that warmed her body. Just as there was no hiding the giggle that spilled from her lips when he wiped his face and smeared oil across his cheek. Daryl swatted lightly at her ass for her teasing, but of course her real karma came later when he was showing her how to check the oil. She got it on her hands without even realizing it, and when she went to wipe the sweat from her face it smeared right across her jaw and cheek.

Daryl didn't laugh when he looked at her, although there was a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "What?" She asked, blinking up at him with a bewildered smile on her lips.

"You've got something…" He gestured at her cheek and she blushed again, embarrassed because she had a feeling she'd gotten herself dirty just like she'd teased him for doing.

"I must look ridiculous," Beth breathed out, rummaging around for a spare rag to clean off her cheek.

"You don't." The tone of his voice, just slightly lower than before, had her pausing to look up at him with interest just as he went on, "Actually it's kinda… I mean, I like it. A lot."

That was really all it took. One minute he was staring at her and the oil smudge on her cheek and the next they were frantically kissing. They knelt together on the ground, his hands curving around to grip her ass and pull her close as she pressed into him and curled her fingers into his shirt, all as their lips parted against each other's to deepen the kiss.

Beth felt his hand drift up to slide under her shirt right at her hip and then, as she groaned into the heated kiss, she felt him pause. "Don't stop," Beth gasped out, even as she broke the kiss to look up at him in confusion. "What is it?"

"My hands are covered in oil…" For a moment, looking up at him and seeing the care and concern in his face, Beth was swamped with a wave of love for him. For _this man_, who loved her more than she'd been loved in her life, who fought for her no matter what, who would pin her down into the grass and make love to her like he thought it might be the last time, yet would still pause over the idea of getting oil from his dirty hands on her pale, smooth skin.

"I don't care," she breathed back, reaching down to find his hand and guide it up under her shirt until she felt his rough palm slide over her bare skin. "I will never, ever care. You could be covered in mud and I wouldn't care." Her lips pressed to his, and in the intimate little space between their mouths she whispered, "Because I love you. And there's nothing I want more than to be close to you."

After that, she was amazed they didn't end up making love right there. It was a close call, one that very nearly went over that line when he pulled her up to straddle his lap and let his grease-stained hands slide up under her shirt to smooth over her back. She ground gently down into him as her own hands cupped the back of his hand and curled through his hair, holding him close as she kissed him passionately and lovingly.

"_Daryl_..." There was so much more she wanted to say (I want you, I need you, I love you, _please_), but before she could get it out, there was a thump from the RV beside them, and they broke their kiss with a gasp. Reality and the presence of all the other members of their group came crashing down on them, but all Beth could do was laugh as she sat straddling him, held almost as close as she could get and just aching for him to be closer.

"I almost forgot we weren't alone," Beth murmured as she pressed one more soft kiss to his lips.

Daryl hummed an agreement, but as his hands slid down to cup her hips again, he admitted softly, "When I'm with you, I always forget about everyone else."

His words only made her want him all over again, but she couldn't forget the muffled sounds coming from the RV behind them, or the fact that anyone could walk around it at anytime.

"C'mon," he murmured, lifting her to her feet and setting her in front of him. His hand came up, the bandanna appearing in it as he wiped away the smudge with a gentle touch that belied the strength of his arms and hands. Only when he'd cleaned it off did he lean in and murmur, "How about we go try an', y'know… hunt a little bit more, for dinner?"

"But I already gave Alberta the-" She blinked, and a grin curved up her lips. "Oh. Right. I think that sounds perfect."

Later, after he'd made love to her against a tree in the woods until he'd had to muffle her moans against his mouth, Beth was pretty sure she still had his handprints etched in oil across her hips and waist and back. But she had absolutely no desire to wipe them away.

She could almost feel them on her skin, lingering like the warmth of his hands had lingered back in the forest as he'd gripped her and caressed her and held her close while they moved their bodies together. Sex wasn't the only thing that brought them close, of course. In some ways there were so many other things that brought them closer; the way they shared their pasts, the way they spent their evenings tucked together working through their anxieties and traumas, even the feeling of just being side-by-side with him in the woods and knowing he trusted her input and observations just as much as he trusted his own.

But the physical closeness of sex with him always remained after they were done. It was why she let her fingers play against his as they walked back to camp, where the rest of the family was gathered around the fire for Alberta's dinner of squirrel, canned potatoes, and beans. It was also why she didn't even think twice about curling up next to him by the campfire, hip to hip and thigh to thigh, even occasionally leaning her head onto his shoulder in between bites.

It was just another version of 'their' PDA, but she knew Daryl didn't mind right now. He was in the same state as she was, and she could feel his fingers occasionally running up and down her back out of sight of the others; confirmation that he felt the same way.

When Glenn's voice broke their little intimate moment, Beth wasn't surprised. He really had been taking pleasure in teasing them lately. It was playful, she knew that, just as much as she knew that in some ways he was just eager to not be the butt of all the 'get a room' jokes, the way he and Maggie had often been back at the prison. Glenn could be serious when needed, but he was also the kinda guy who liked to crack a joke and break the tension. She just wished sometimes that he was a little better at avoiding the whole open mouth, insert foot syndrome.

" Look at the two of you all cozy," Glenn teased as he dropped to a seat on the ground next to him with his own bowl in hand. "You know, I'm starting to think you two really are inseparable. Always riding together on that bike, touching each other's backs and practically holding hands, going off _hunting_ together all the time." He stuck a spoonful of the squirrel and beans stew in his mouth, swallowed, and then flashed them a grin as he finished, "I mean at this point, you might as well put a ring on it like I did with Mags, right? Come on, Daryl, when are you gonna make an honest woman out of my sister-in-law, hm? Make her Mrs. Dixon?"

She could sense the moment it all went bad; the moment the lighthearted chuckle faded from Daryl's lips, the moment his fingers dropped from her back and his whole body tense.

"Ain't nothing honest about being Mrs. Dixon," He drawled roughly. As soon as he began to speak, it was like Beth split into two people. There was the Beth that knew Daryl better than she sometimes felt like she knew her own self. The part of her that saw the pain in his eyes and remembered the scars lashed across his back and every late night story about his father and his mother, the abuse and the violence, his mother's life over really even before she died in that fire. The part of her that knew what he'd gone through and how it had affected him, knew it both in clinical terms as well as the feeling of his body shuddering against hers as he dug those dark painful moments up out of his chest and exposed them to her in the light of the moon above them.

But there was another Beth watching him in that moment, too. The same young, innocent girl who had once put on her mother's wedding veil and walked around her room holding a bouquet of flowers while she tripped over the hem of an off-white dress that her mother had given her for dress up. It was the same girl who had once sat up in the loft of the barn and dreamed about finding the perfect man some day, a partner, a _soulmate_, one who would love her forever and ask her to be his wife. That girl had dreamed about love and proposals and being walked down the aisle by her Daddy (oh, _Daddy_), and seeing a man at the end of the aisle looking up at her like he'd never loved anything more in her life.

A wedding and a home and children; there'd been a time when she'd craved all of that and right now it was all flashing through her mind to crumble away as Daryl kept on speaking in that rough, pained voice, "Ain't nothin' good ever come out of any marriage I knew. Ain't nothin' good about it at all. Not marriage, and especially not bein' a Dixon."

That one rational half of her tried to cling on, tried to stay in control. Tried to remember being the same woman who had never once pushed Daryl when it came to defining their relationship. Tried to remember telling him that it was okay if they didn't put a name to it, because she knew she had feelings for him and that was enough. Tried to remember _Dixon and Greene_ and _partners_, and his whispered words of _I love you_ in those rare, intimate moments.

But the innocent girl within her, already diminished from everything she had gone through, was crumbling more and more with each word he spoke. She should have known those dreams were already lost anyway; she had no Daddy to walk her even if there'd been aisles to walk down anymore, even if there'd been homes and the potential to raise children in them.

And yet it still hurt. And yet his words (_ain't nothing good about it_) had her stupid silly girl dreams crumbling in her mind as she felt her chest begin to tighten up and ache with the threat of panic. The knowledge that it had been Daryl of all people to bring it on only made it worse because it had never, ever been Daryl before. He'd always been the one person who understood.

(The rational part of her knew that it had been bound to happen at some point, both their pasts and the issues that stemmed from them coming to a head. The rational part of her said that Daryl was just speaking emotionally, that if she sat there and stayed calm and talked to him once they were alone, it would be okay.)

(The emotional, broken-hearted girl within her told the rational part of her to shove it.)

She stood up so unexpectedly that she wobbled in place before she caught herself. "I need to go." It was all she could get out. She couldn't even look at Daryl right now and imagine what was in his eyes. Did he even realize how the things he was saying might affect her? The rational voice whispering that he'd been speaking emotionally was too quiet now to be heard as she picked up her crossbow, turned, and strode off.

"Beth, wait!" Daryl's voice very nearly brought her to an instinctive halt. She paused for just a second and then, with a low growl, pushed herself on towards the forest, leaving him behind.

She didn't look back to see if he was following.

****A/N: I'M SORRY! You have no idea how hard the end of this was to write. If it helps, I am literally already 3 pages into writing the next chapter, so it should hopefully be up within the next 1-2 days because I just can't leave angst that long, it makes me too anxious. I hope you all found this realistic, though, I am not a fan of angst for the sake of it. This has a point to it, and it was going to come up eventually. (You can blame Glenn, though. I know I do.)**


	4. What 'Dixon' Means

****A/N: Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, also earns the story's mature rating.**

Daryl Dixon was an idiot and an asshole and a complete and utter fuck-up. He was the biggest damn idiot asshole fuck-up to ever have lived, which was probably saying something in a world as screwed up as this one, but he truly believed it in that moment.

It had hit him the moment Beth went jolting to her feet. He'd looked up in surprise and even though she refused to look back at him he could see the pain in every line of her face and he had just one idiotic second to wonder what the hell had happened before it hit him.

He'd happened, of course. Him and his big stupid mouth going on about how marriage was nothing but shit and there was nothing good about being a Dixon. It didn't matter that his belief in that was deeply rooted in a lifetime of issues. What mattered was that he'd spoken without thinking and now Beth was striding away from him with her shoulders sagging like his words had placed some huge and heavy weight on her that she'd never wanted. Maybe he had. After all, it was Beth. Sweet, _good_ Beth, who'd grown up in a loving family and probably dreamed of getting married one day. Now he'd just taken that dream and shattered it.

Daryl had always known in some part of his heart and head that she was too good for him. It'd just been a matter of time before he fucked it up somehow the way he'd fucked up when he'd let her get taken. Only this was worse because she trusted him and he'd hurt her and that was the thing he'd promised to himself that he'd never, ever do. Knowing he'd hurt her didn't just make him feel like an asshole and an idiot, it made him feel like his own heart was cracking, too.

"Beth, wait!" Daryl climbed to his feet as he saw her pause but then she was pushing on, hurrying through the campsite and towards the woods even as sun began to set above them.

There was a voice whispering in the back of his mind, low and rough, drawling out advice in a familiar echo: _Let her go, baby brother, it ain't worth the trouble, ain't worth the drama, girl like her's never worth it_.

_Bullshit_. His fingers clenched at his side as he took Merle's voice and mentally shoved it away behind a door he could slam shut harder than he ever had before. Because that was the exact opposite of how he felt. Beth _was_ worth the trouble, was worth the drama, Beth was worth _everything_ to him, and there was no way he was gonna stand here and continue being a damn idiot. There was no way he wasn't gonna try his hardest to fix this, to stop her from hurting.

Leaving Glenn behind him stammering out apologies, Daryl strode towards the forest with his crossbow slung over his back. He brushed off Rick's concerned questions and stepped into the woods just a half minute behind Beth. She wasn't trying to hide her tracks and he followed them easily, trailing her prints in the grass and dirt and walking as fast as he could to catch up with her.

It didn't take long before he heard the sound of rushing water up ahead and came out of the trees to see her perched at the edge of the small stream that fed the waterfall this campsite was centered near. She had her bow on the ground beside her and her jean-clad knees were drawn up to her chest so she could wrap her arms around them. Her whole body was trembling but even as he stood there watching her, Daryl could see her fighting to get herself under control.

It reminded him of just how strong she was, but also of the fact that he'd been the one to break her down even this much and lord, that was wrong. He was supposed to be the one at her side, supporting her. He wasn't supposed to be the one bringing her to a place where she _needed_ support.

Now that he'd found her, Daryl realized he had no idea what to say. His feet crunched on the ground to signal his arrival, but he said nothing until he'd come up beside her and dropped to his haunches. "I'm sorry."

That was only the tip of the iceberg really, and he knew it, but it was as hard as always to find the words. Crouching there watching her, Daryl just wanted to wrap his arms around her and whisper apologies until she stopped trembling, but he was afraid- terrified even- that if he tried to touch her, she'd push him away. She had every right, after all.

"Beth, I… I'm a fucking idiot and a jerk and an asshole, and you don't deserve…"

"Don't." She didn't lift her head, but her rough voice issued from beneath her arms where she had them resting on her knees. "Please, Daryl. Don't say you don't deserve me, okay? That's _bullshit_, and you know it."

Though her fierceness made a part of him swell with pride, it also knocked him back a bit. He thought she might lash out at him the way she had that day back at the moonshine shack. He'd deserved it then as much as he did not, but Beth didn't say anything else and he knew it was because she was fighting to control her anxiety. It only made that guilt dig it's claws deeper into his belly. He swallowed hard and rocked on his heels. What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to fix this?

Daryl was quiet for a long moment before he shifted to sit down beside her. He drew his own knees up to rest his arms over them, and looked out over the stream as it flowed past them with a light burbling sound. It was peaceful in a way that seemed in such stark contrast to how he felt right now; broiling with turmoil, overwhelmed with pain and guilt.

Eventually, he began to speak. "I ain't never had a good image of what marriage is, Beth." He heard her draw in a breath beside him to speak and he held up a hand even if she couldn't see it. "Just… just let me get this out, okay? I know I fucked up and maybe I don't deserve a chance to explain, but… but I really want to, okay?"

"...Okay."

He took in her soft agreement as a tiny, tiny bit of hope, and then as his hand settled on his knee he started again, "Once, when my Dad wasn't around- probably at a bar, I don't remember-anyway, my Ma let me look at this album she had hidden away in the back of her closet. She'd made it herself, covered the front of it with the rose-patterned wallpaper she'd bought once for the living room. My Dad'd found it and thrown it all out in the trash, but she saved a scrap for that album." He was rambling, getting off track, his thoughts splitting off like hairs of a thread until he brought them back into line.

"In the album there were pictures of her when she was younger. I remember looking at them and thinkin' she was the prettiest woman I'd ever seen. Like she glowed, y'know? Like she was happy." He sighed. "She looked so happy in those pictures, and she'd run her fingers over them and set her drink aside to tell me about how she'd had all these dreams about leaving Georgia, maybe going up to see New York City. How she'd have a room full of books and she'd go see musicals on Broadway and just walk through the city when it rained."

His eyes pressed shut, and Daryl remembered his mother's voice all rough from all the drinking but still gentle with him as she got lost in memory. He could almost feel the ghost of her fingers curling through his hair, the whisper of her voice calling him her sweet baby boy while she breathed out those rambling, twisting stories about all her lost dreams and everything she'd wanted to be.

He looked down at his hands where they dangled between his knees and went on lowly, "Then she met my Dad. He already had a reputation for bein' rough, but she didn't listen. She loved him and he was sweet to her, at first. Till it was too late, anyway." He studied the lines on his hands, marked by the dirt worked almost permanently into his hands by now. "Merle used to say he could remember when she didn't drink, but he was almost ten years older than me, y'know? By the time I was born, Ma drank pretty much every day. Had to, she told me. I think it made it more bearable, somehow, or made her care less… made everything all numb." He raked his fingers through his hair and tried to keep himself distant from those memories even as talking about them conjured it up all over again.

After a moment Daryl's voice shifted to become rougher. "My pa told me once that the only thing a wife was good for was bitchin' and making sandwiches. Said some of 'em were good for gettin' kids off of, but my Ma couldn't even get that right half the time, cause look at me." He shrugged but from the corner of his eye he saw her lifting her head to look up at him. She stayed quiet though and he was grateful because he didn't know if he could keep talking if she interrupted. "That's all I've ever known of marriage. A man who beat his woman so much that the only way she could keep gettin' up every day was to drink until she forgets. A woman who used to be… happy and beautiful an' hopeful. Like you."

Daryl's head tipped down, hanging heavy on his shoulders as if he had the weight of his memories pressing down on him. It sure felt like he did. "All the marriages I knew were bad. People who lived around us were the same. The men beat their wives or they weren't ever around cause they were out gettin' drunk or foolin' around. If it wasn't beatin' goin' on, then they hated each other anyway. Sometimes I couldn't tell if they'd ever been in love to begin with. Hell… till I meant you, I didn't even think love was real."

It was true, though. He'd never thought a lot of things were real until he'd met Beth. Things like hope and goodness and love, and so much more. The knowledge of that had him exhaling a sigh as he turned and finally looked over at her. She still had her arms wrapped around herself, but the trembling of her body had slowed faintly and she was looking over at him now with her cheek resting on her knee. The look in her eyes almost broke him again because the hurt was still there from what he'd done, but now it was mixed in with the pain he knew she felt hearing him talk about his past.

"The thing is…" Daryl trailed off as he turned his body towards her a little, fighting the urge to reach for her even though it was all he wanted to do, even though every inch of him ached to pull her into his arms and hold her close. "Glenn was gettin' on my nerves and I just… reacted without thinkin', and I know I hurt you. An' I'm sorry. I know that don't make up for it at all, but I'm still sorry. That's just… that's how it is, for me, how it's always been. I don't have anything else to go by. When I think about marriage, all I think about is… pain, and hurt. Like the way I hurt you, today, but a hundred times worse."

Only when he'd dropped his gaze done again like he was finally done did Beth speak, quiet and soft, "Daryl… Would you ever hurt me on purpose?"

"Never." He didn't even have to think, let alone hesitate for a single second. "Never on purpose."

"Because you're _not_ your father, Daryl. You never have been. And we're not your Ma and Pa, just like we're not _my_ Mama and Daddy, either." She was looking at him all plaintively, and he knew she was trying to get it across, but it was like she was reaching over a canyon and the bridge just wasn't quite long enough yet. He didn't know how to extend it any further.

"But when you think about marriage, Beth, you think about your parents. When you think about bein' a wife, you think about your Ma, and how happy they were and how much your father loved her. When I think about it…" He swallowed hard. "When I hear _Mrs. Dixon_, I see… I see bruise marks and broken bones, I hear her cryin' herself to sleep at night while he calls her a loud dumb bitch for not cryin' quieter. I see that fire, and my house burned down, and I remember the tiny part of me that thought maybe she was better off…"

He broke off because his throat closed up on him and he just couldn't get the words out any more. It was too much. He'd meant it before when he'd said those words to Glenn, and he whispered them again now, his voice rough and choked off, "Ain't nothin' good about being a Dixon."

Beth's voice cut right through the darkness in his mind. "That's where you're wrong." His eyes were pressed shut, but then he felt her hand rest ever so lightly against his bare arm and he had to look at her. She was leaning in closer to him and the look in her eyes probably would have brought him to his knees if he wasn't already on the ground. "Cause that's not what I think of when I hear the name Dixon. I think of you. You're the only Dixon I've ever truly known, Daryl. You know what I think of, when I hear the name Dixon?"

He shook his head slowly, and as his tongue came out to wet his dry lips he kept his eyes on her, riveted as she went on, "To me, being a Dixon means being brave, and strong and loyal. A Dixon is sweeter than expected, and smart, and funny. A Dixon never, ever loses faith in you. A Dixon never gives up on the people they love, because being a Dixon means _fighting_ to save the people you love." Her fingers traced over his skin as her soft voice wove a spell over him, drawing him back to her light like a moth to a flame that would never, ever burn him. "Maybe sometimes a Dixon might get worn down or even hurt, but they're never, ever broken because they're stronger than that. And a real Dixon never does the breaking, either. A real Dixon _cares_ to much, to ever hurt someone on purpose."

She waited until he leaned in a little bit more, and then Beth's hand came up to cup the side of his face. She looked deep into his eyes as she held his face and spoke firmly and honestly, "I would be _proud_ to be a Dixon any day, Daryl. Just as proud as I am to be a Greene."

There was a war inside of him between present and past. Between the child who had grown up knowing that to be a Dixon was dirt, to be a Dixon meant to be violent and angry and aggressive and _bad_, and the new voice- Beth's voice or his adult voice or maybe both- the one that whispered that maybe being a Dixon wasn't so bad because _he_ wasn't so bad, not anymore. That voice whispered that if Beth thought being a Dixon was all those things, then maybe she was right. Because she was the best he knew of what it meant to be 'good', and if she truly believed that he was included in that…

After a long moment, Daryl lifted his hand to cup her own where it was pressed to his cheek. His palm covered the soft warm back of her hand as he looked into her eyes and asked softly, "Is that what you want? To be Mrs. Dixon?" Saying it still made something twist inside of him, something dark that twined back into the depths of his past.

"No." His brow furrowed and as soon as it did, Beth gave him a hesitant smile. "Not right now, anyway. I never asked for that, Daryl, Glenn was the one who brought that up- and trust me, he's getting a piece of my mind later, even if he couldn't have known…" She broke off and shook her head. "That doesn't matter right now. Daryl, I don't need to be Mrs. Dixon, not right now. I guess I just… wanted to know that someday, maybe, it was an option. Even though things like marriage don't really have a standing anymore considering that there's not even a law these days… it's still something I've always wanted. But not _now_, you know? Maybe eventually. Maybe someday. I think it just hurt because it sounding like you were saying it could never happen and that just… hit me hard, I guess."

His fingers curled around hers lightly where they were still pressed to his cheek and Daryl drew in a deep breath as he looked into her eyes. But before he could speak she shook her head and pressed on, "Wait, before you say anything… I just want you to know, Daryl. It's never mattered what we call ourselves. I never needed to be your girlfriend, even if it would have fit somehow. You and I, we've never needed titles or names for what we are, because we just _are_. You and me, Dixon and Greene, partners in everything… that's all I've ever wanted or needed, Daryl, We'll always be that, won't we? Even if you never wanna add a Mrs. in front of my name."

Looking into those big blue eyes for a moment was like looking out into an never-ending sky. Endless. That's what he saw when he looked at Beth. Beyond his fears of losing her, of pushing her away somehow, when he looked at her he couldn't imagine ever having her in his life and being at her side. He couldn't imagine them not being exactly what she said they were; him and her, Dixon and Greene, partners, _together_. Always. Daryl drew in a breath and whispered on the exhale, "Maybe not _never_, okay?"

It was the most he could say, but it seemed like it was the right thing for now. It had to be, given the way the tension eased from her face and the light came back into those big blue eyes. He exhaled with a shudder, his hands twitching towards her but stopping short as he asked in a voice that was still low with a hint of shame, "Can I hold you now?" He swallowed the please, but it was right on the tip of his tongue.

"Always," Beth breathed out. That was all it took. He gave in to the urge, sliding his hands over his sides to grip her hips and tug her into his lap, and in the wrap of his arms around her and the press of their bodies together, _both_ of them were shuddering with the relief of being back together.

"I'm sorry," Daryl whispered against her hair, feeling the silken strands pressed to his lips as he closed his eyes and breathed her in deep.

Her arms wrapped around him, fingers curling into his hair as she pressed her cheek to his temple. "_I'm_ sorry," Beth murmured, lips grazing his own hair as she spoke. "I shouldn't have run off like that. I knew- I mean, a part of me knew why you were saying those things. After everything you've told me, everything you've trusted me with… I knew you weren't saying it to be hurtful, but it still stung, you know? I guess some tiny part of me is still a little girl tripping around her room in her mom's old dress and wedding veil."

Despite the ache he still felt at having hurt her, at having caused what was- sort of, anyway- something close to their first real disagreement, Daryl found himself chuckling at her words, 'cause he could picture her just like that; a sweet little girl with big blue eyes and soft blond hair, walking around with a veil on, pretending to get married. "Who you'd marry? Should I be jealous?"

The sound of her softly laughing against his temple eased the worry within him a little more, and as his hands brushed over her back he heard her murmur, "My teddy bear and no, he ended up with a stuffed bunny I used to have, so I guess it wasn't meant to be." She smiled, but only slightly. "But you know, I always imagined it, even when I was little. Not just… the white dress, and the flowers, but… but finding someone who I wanted to be with forever, you know? A soul mate, a…"

"Partner?" The word spilled from his lips without hesitation and Daryl's breath hitched for just a second before Beth shifted in his arms to rest her forehead to his.

As she looked down into his eyes, she breathed out softly, "Yes. Exactly." Then a smile curved up her lips, the best thing he'd seen all day really as she added, "I guess I already found that."

The things they were talking about felt so big to Daryl. Big in a sense that they were sort of momentous for him, admitting that he had feelings like this for her that were akin to the idea of soul-mates. But also, they just felt _big_ as in… bigger than him, bigger than the world even. Like what they felt for each other was larger than both of them and it just swept them up and filled them and expanded around them. Like it was too big even to name or put a title or description too. It just _was_.

Because it was so big in so many ways, and because he felt so small not only in comparison to it but for how he'd dismissed it earlier in the heat of the moment, Daryl didn't even know what to say in response to her. So he didn't say anything at all. He just lifted his hands, cupped her cheeks, and pressed his lips to hers. Her lips instantly pressed back against his and he felt another knot of tension uncurl within him as they got lost in a slow, loving kiss, letting the press of their lips and the taste of each other chase away the pain and the hurt and the worry.

Soon she was sighing into his mouth, her hands tangling in his hair as she shifted as close as she could get to fit her body against his. When the kiss broke they stayed close, noses brushing together, looking into each other's eyes for a long, drawn out moment. He tried to tell her with his eyes all the things he always had trouble putting into words; how much he cared for her, how important she was to him, how sorry he was to have hurt her… and, of course, how much he loved her with all his cracked and fragile heart.

There were so many times he wished he was capable of putting it all out there in words, not only eloquently but frequently, whenever he wanted to. But he couldn't. It wasn't who he was, still, even if he was trying to get better, trying to get stronger. That was the thing about Beth though, she never needed him to be eloquent, she never needed him to put it into words. Her eyes held his and that loving, perfect smile crossed her lips again as she murmured, "I know. Me too."

His lips found hers once more and this time it was a far more passionate, deeper kiss. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and Daryl groaned as his hands clutched harder at her back, holding her close as if desperate to not lose the warmth of her body and the nearness of _Beth_. There was just a hint of a frantic edge to their kissing, reminiscent of a few days ago when he'd almost lost her in another way and the drive to remind himself that they were both still alive had him pressing her down into the ground and fusing their bodies together.

This time instead of him pressing her down onto the grass it was Beth whose hands found his chest and slowly pressed him back. She leaned over him, her hair spilling around them in a golden curtain as her lips eased over his and her tongue teased alongside his own. He felt her hands brushing slowly over his chest but even more he felt her hips slowly rolling down into his until the heat of her there became so very, very noticeable.

"_Beth…_" Her name was reverent on Daryl's lips because _he_ wanted to revere her, to praise every beautiful inch of her. She was in control and he had no desire to take that away from her ever, but especially right now. Their want and need for each other was almost constant on a normal basis, and after the brief rift that had formed between them this afternoon, their desperate need to be close again only fueled that want even more. Soon he was aching, straining against his jeans as he felt her grinding down against him in a slow rhythm.

He would have said 'please', would have pleaded with her like he almost never did with anyone, but he didn't need to. Beth was right there with him, reaching between them to undo the button on his jeans and drag down the zipper. Her fingers shifted, slipping into his pocket where she knew he had the square of foil she needed (just as he knew she had one, too, kept safe in the back pocket of her jeans, just in case). Beth pressed it into his hands and then shifted back so she could undo her jeans too, lifting herself up only long enough for him help her push them down over her hips right along with her panties. The moment they were out of the way she was straddling him again, reaching between them to curl her fingers around his length, now encased in the condom she'd given him.

In just an instant, the closeness he felt with her doubled, tripled, expanded beyond measure as she slid down onto his hard length. She was hot and tight and slick around him, and all he could do was clutch her hips and breathe out her name in another awed and reverent moan as she sat up and began to slowly ride him.

There she was again, that goddess above him, so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at her and yet it was impossible to look away at the same time. Her head tipped back, spilling her long hair down her back as the late sunlight gilded the delicate pale curve of her throat. For just one moment she shone in his eyes, radiant; he knew it was the sun lighting on her from above, but he allowed himself just a few seconds to be poetic, to be fanciful, to imagine he'd been allowed to see all that hope and goodness she had inside of her radiating out of her the way he felt it all the time.

Then she looked down, and the goddess faded, though not because she was any less radiant or gorgeous. Because those perfect blue eyes looked into his eyes and saw him, and loved him, and wanted him, and every inch of her was just Beth. _His Beth_; though he'd never thought himself worthy enough in the past to belong to her, let alone the other way around. He knew he did. He knew they belonged together.

Beth lifted her hips and sank back down and soon he was moving with her, his hips pressing up to meet her slow, perfect rhythm. They moved perfectly together, arching and thrusting, and he was riveted to the sight of her above him, pleasure and love etched across her face. Her whole body swayed to the rhythm of her hips as she took him into her again and again and again until both of them were gasping and biting back moans, doing their best not to be too loud even though he knew she must have wanted to cry out as much as he did as they made love there on the forest floor.

When it was too much, he pulled her to him just she began to lean back down. Their lips met in a deep kiss as they breathed their moans into each other's mouths, sharing them in the most intimate way possible as their bodies moved as one. And then she went tumbled over the edge and Daryl was swallowing her cries, too, muffling them against his lips as she tensed above him and dissolved into shivers, pulsing and throbbing around him as she came undone. One thrust, two, and he was joining her, spilling into the condom as his fingers dug into her hips and his groans of pleasure mingled with their kiss to get lost between their lips.

After, once he'd pulled off the condom and tied it off, and they'd both done their clothes back up, Beth ended up back in his lap again, curled against his chest as he held her close. The sun was setting above them, sending the golden light of dimming day filtering through the trees to dapple the grassy floor around them. He knew, logically, that they would need to go back to camp soon. He knew it wasn't safe to stay here once the sun started to set, away from the people on watch and the traps they'd set up to give them warning. He knew that despite the rarity of walkers in these woods, one could still stumble onto them at any moment. It had been risky enough making love out here, though there was no way he would have told her to stop.

But he didn't want to move. He didn't want to get up from this spot and lose the feeling of her in his lap and cradled in his arms. He didn't want to lose the feeling of her breath ghosting across his lips, her nose brushing against his, her fingers dancing lightly over his scalp and twining through his hair.

There were times when he loved the way she saw and thought so differently from him, when her mind went on an entirely separate path and came to a conclusion he never would have thought of. But there were just as many times he was glad that she could think exactly the same as he did; like right now, when she nuzzled her nose against his and murmured, "Can we stay here just a little bit longer?"

"Of course." Daryl murmured out the words easily, but a few moments later something else slipped out of lips in a rough voice that was as close to 'plaintive' as a man like him could get. "So you… ain't mad at me no more?"

"Daryl." Beth tilted her head to brush her lips over his. While one of her hands stayed curled into his hair the other shifted to cup his face so her thumb could brush over his stubbled cheek as she went on, "I was never mad at you. Hurt, yeah, but never mad. I don't think you could- no,_would_- ever do anything that would actually make me mad, Daryl."

There was a part of him still filled with guilt and he knew in some part of his mind that what he felt at the idea of having hurt her was all tied up in his past, in the way his father had hurt his mother day after day until every glint of life and light had been beaten out of her. With his eyes half shut, Daryl brushed his lips over Beth's, savoring the warmth of her lips and the taste of her there before he breathed out, "Hate knowin' I hurt you. I promised myself I'd never, ever…"

"I know. I know, Daryl…" She whispered the words against his lips as if trying to chase the thoughts away, but he didn't know if it was enough. He still wanted to beg for forgiveness, to find some way to make it up to her, but he didn't know how or if she'd even let him. "Daryl we're okay," she whispered reassuringly against his lips in between soft, sweet kisses that punctuated her words. "I still trust you, and I know that you would never, ever hurt me on purpose. I won't tell you to forget about it or to not feel guilty because that's not fair but don't let it weigh you down, okay? You're a good man, a good _partner_." Her lips brushed over his cheek to his ear, feather-light against that curved shell as she whispered, "You're not your father. You're my Daryl and I've never met a better man than you."

When she drew back to look into his eyes he saw a spark deep in that blue gaze, one that matched the smile on her lips as she added, "And don't you try and argue that with me, alright? Because _that_ would be bullshit too, and you know I won't hesitate to tell you."

Daryl chuckled, he couldn't help it. He chuckled, and that last bit of worry and tension eased out of him as he looked up at her and brushed a stray bit of hair from her face to tuck it behind her ear. "Sometimes I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm glad for whatever it was."

"I know what you did." Beth smiled and kissed his forehead. "You were born. That's it. That's all you ever had to do. It isn't about deserving, Daryl, it's just about what's right. We're right, and that's what matters."

Beth was doing it again. That thing where she cut right to the heart of the matter and laid it open so simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world to find something so good and right. And it felt like it was obvious, when she pointed it out to him. It felt like nothing in the world had ever been as obvious as her and him.

So Daryl leaned in to close the gap between them and kissed her, slow but deep, letting the kiss linger until both of them were breathless and had to pull away just to fill their lungs. They stayed there like that, wrapped up in each other until the encroaching darkness and the need for safety within it won out, but even when they finally gave in and made their way back to camp, Daryl kept her in the circle of his arms. For now at least, he didn't care if anyone saw them being affectionate together. It just felt… right.

****A/N: This was a very self-contained chapter, but it was necessary! I promise the story will start picking up again soon, but they needed to have some time to address this and Daryl's issues so they could keep moving ahead. The next update should hopefully be within a few days.**


	5. Brothers and Sisters

It was about a day and a half before Glenn finally approached her again. Beth wasn't sure if it just took him that long to work up the nerve, or if maybe Maggie had been holding him back until then. Maybe it was both. Whatever the reason, he'd been avoiding her (and Daryl) since his teasing had caused that brief tension between them, and she guessed she understood why. A part of her had wanted to lecture him after, or maybe get him to apologize, but in the end she'd give him the same space. The truth was she wasn't even really mad at him; it wasn't like he'd been a dick on purpose to try and set Daryl off.

Things had been good between her and Daryl since then, since he'd unburdened himself about his past and his fears about marriage and his mother and father. Things felt somehow even better between them now than they had been before. Every time she thought the two of them were as close as they could get, something happened to bring them even closer. That was something she'd never complain about, even if it did amaze her a bit.

They were still working their way through North Carolina, but Daryl reckoned they'd reach Georgia again probably in the next couple days. It still felt ironic, going back after all this… but maybe it was right, too. Maybe they had to go home, to find a home. Or something poetic like that. Whatever the case, they had stopped for lunch off to the side of the mountain woods, at one of the little picnic rest-stops that dotted the roads; really nothing more than a few rotted picnic tables, a fire pit, sometimes a spigot for water that worked about as often as it didn't.

For once, the spigot they found did work, and Beth was in the process of filling up their water-bottles with the water (it had to have come from an underground spring, maybe, or a well, she figured), when Glenn ambled nervously up to her. She could tell he was nervous by the way he was holding his hat, twisting it and clenching it in front of him until she shaded her eyes against the sun and peered up. "If you're gonna stand there, you should help, too. Fill some of these bottles with me?"

They worked in silence, but only for a few moments. As the water splashed over their hands, Glenn broken the silence to clear his throat and then began, "I just wanna apologize, Beth. For upsetting Daryl the other day, and you… I didn't mean for any of that to happen."

Beth waited until the bottle in her hands was full and then, as she screwed the cap on, she replied softly, "I'm not mad at you for that, Glenn. Honestly." She set the bottle aside and reached for another, the water on her fingers making the plastic slippery in her hands. "You were just playing around. I mean yeah, sometimes I wish maybe you'd ease up a little bit, but you had no way of knowing that what you were saying would affect him."

"I honestly didn't," Glenn replied, plaintive with honesty. He was almost always like that, though. So open and honest, almost to a fault. It was how their secret in the barn had gotten out, all that time ago. Glenn had never been able to keep a secret, let alone lie.

"I know. You couldn't have. And look…" Her brow furrowed faintly as she shifted another open bottle under the steady stream of water. "It's not my place to tell you why it upset him so much. That's private. But maybe just… ease up on any teasing about his family, or his past, or anything like that. He has a sense of humor-" She smiled. "-I know you see it like I do, it's hard to notice at first, but it's there. But not when it comes to things like that." Beth was quiet for a few seconds as the water bottle filled up, and this time when she turned to look at him, her eyes were steely. "Cause now that you know, if you push him again after I've told you the sore spots, _then_ I'm gonna be mad."

To her surprise, Glenn almost looked briefly startled, maybe even a tiny bit worried. He stepped back and cleared his throat, but when he ran his fingers through his dark hair he gave a chuckle. "You know, I swear you looked at me just like he does sometimes. You've got that scary look down, Beth." He settled his hat back onto his head, and as he tugged down on the worn brim, Glenn joked, "Hey, aren't I supposed to be the one trying to joke with him about being good to you? Not you doing it to me?"

Beth smiled faintly. "Shawn would have. He could be so protective sometimes. When I first starting dating Jimmy, I saw him corner the poor boy in the back of the barn and give him this whole long lecture about being good to me. Jimmy looked so rattled by the time he was done, it was kinda funny. I never told either of them I saw it. Didn't want to hurt Jimmy's pride or whatever, and Shawn… well it was annoying, but it was also sweet. I never needed him protecting me, not from Jimmy anyway, but… I dunno, it was nice in a way, how much he cared. I think he'd have done the same with Daryl. Or maybe not. I think he might have tried to, anyway, but then he'd have just… decided Daryl was his new best friend, you know?" She stood up and turned just enough to catch sight of Daryl, who had somehow ended up with Judith in his lap, though he didn't seem to mind gently bouncing her. His eyes met hers for just a moment as if he sensed the weight of her gaze, and Beth smiled. "Shawn would have liked him." She turned, giving Glenn a measured look. "He'd have liked you, too, I think."

Glenn hesitated for just a moment, and when he spoke again his voice was soft. "Even if I haven't been doing such a good job of taking over his job, and being a big brother to you?" At the slight shrugging lift of her shoulder, Glenn shook his head. "No, seriously Beth. I'm… I'm sorry. I don't mean for the other day- I mean yeah, for that too, you know that. But I mean…" He sighed, his fingers beginning to twist around the bottle he held before he smoothed them out. "I'm sorry for not looking for you, after the prison. I'm sorry for going with Maggie on that bus to DC, when we should have been looking for you. I didn't-" He hesitated a moment, tripping over the words, "Maybe I should've pushed her, I dunno. Maybe I should have taken the initiative myself, when I heard Daryl tell her in the boxcar that you were alive. And I definitely should have apologized long before this, I just couldn't get up the nerve I guess."

Beth let the silence linger between them for a long moment before she reached out and gently squeezed his arm. It wasn't a hug, though she would have liked to give him one if she'd been able to. It was something though, as was her gentle voice as she replied, "Thank you. I know we can't change what happened. But… but it's good, to hear that from you."

A hint of a smile crossed his lips again as if just begging to come back out as he joked, "So you think Shawn would have forgiven me for my lapses as a brother?"

"Maybe not yet." She stuck another bottle of water under the spigot as she flashed him a smile. "But he'd give you a chance to try and make up for it. And so will I."

"Thanks, Beth." Glenn's teasing tone faded to something more earnest. "That's all I'm asking for."

...

Later, once she and Glenn had finished filling up the water, she brought a bottle of it back to Daryl. Droplets of water clung to the plastic, glistening in the light of the sun above as she dangled it in front of him. He was sitting on a picnic table bench with Judith half-asleep in his lap, curled against his chest with her thumb in her mouth, and he looked up at her with a smile when she offered him the bottle.

"Thanks," he murmured, unscrewing the cap with his free hand and bringing it to his lips while the other hand gently cradled Judy to his chest.

Beth smiled and crouched down, running her hand over Judith's soft fuzz of blonde hair. "She looks so comfy in your arms. I know that feeling." A flash of amusement went through her eyes for just a moment before she ran her fingers lightly through the baby's hair again. "It's getting so long. Pretty soon we'll be able to tie it up, maybe. Speaking of which…"

When she tipped her head to look up at him, her eyes fixed on his long hair, falling into his eyes. It had been growing even longer since she'd cut it, all those weeks ago back at the hospital. She was half convinced that cutting it had actually only made it grow faster, and these days if he didn't push it back it was always in his face. With a little smile s she stood back up and shifted to stand behind him, straddling the bench of the picnic table as she used her height advantage (the only time she ever had one with him) to play with his hair.

"I bet you could manage a ponytail now. Maybe even a bun." Beth combed her fingers through the dark strands, pulling them all back to play with them.

"You takin' advantage of me havin' my hands full with Judith, Greene?" Daryl's voice rumbled in his chest but the amused tone in it made Beth smile.

"Maybe a little. Maybe I just like playing with your hair, hm?" She took her time, gently running her nails over his scalp to see if he'd like that, and sure enough Beth soon had him tipping his head back with a gentle hum. It was all she could do to resist the urge to lean in and kiss his forehead from behind like this, and lord knew she'd have done it if there weren't so many people around. Even then, it was still tempting.

"Glenn wasn't botherin' you, was he?"

Daryl's question had her humming in response, but as she began to carefully draw his hair back into a little ponytail, she replied softly, "He was just… trying to be a brother-in-law. Maybe a bit late to the game, but he's trying and that's what matters." As she slipped a spare hair band off her wrist, she went on, "We were talking about Shawn, a bit. How protective he was. I think he'd have tried to give you the talk, you know, about being good to me. But I also think he'd have decided you were a totally badas-"

Beth looked down at the sleeping baby and broke off just in time; the last thing she wanted was for that to be Judith's first word. "-He'd have thought you were very cool, anyway, and probably just wanted to be your friend."

He was quiet beneath her hands, and though she had the hair-tie ready, she didn't tie his hair off just yet. She kept playing, twining her fingers through it, gently scratching at his scalp and enjoying the way he softly hummed at her touch. After a moment, she heard him ask, "D'you think I'd've liked him?"

"Shawn?" She let her fingers twist in his hair for a moment and looked down to see Judith shifting and yawning against Daryl's chest. "Everyone liked Shawn. He was just… he was just like that, you know? Friendly and open and funny. He was so protective of me and Maggie, too, but not just of us, of anyone he cared about; Mama, Daddy, Otis, Patricia, the farm, the horses, his friends…"

"Sounds familiar." Daryl chuckled and tipped his head back to look up at her. "Sounds a lot like you, Beth."

"Yeah?" A pleased smile curved up her lips and she nodded. "I'd be happy, knowing I was even a little like him. We only had our Mama in common, you know, but people said we looked like siblings anyway. More than me an' Mags, anyway. Probably because we both took after Mama, same blonde hair and all." She trailed off for a moment, remembering things they'd left behind, back on the farm. Not just people but memories and things, too. If she closed her eyes she could remember one thing so clearly; that picture held on their fridge by a strawberry-shaped magnet. Her Mama's blonde hair blowing in the breeze, her Daddy's arm around her, and Beth, about ten years old and all gangly legs, with her arms wrapped around Shawn's middle as Maggie stood next to her, trying to pose perfectly while Beth had just fooled around.

A part of her wished she had the real thing, the real picture… but Beth knew she'd always have it lingering in her mind, and that was good, too. Despite her worries, she would do her best to never forget how they looked, or how happy they'd be.

Perhaps sensing the thoughts behind her quiet, she felt Daryl's head tip back and when she opened her eyes, she looked down into his and felt the reassurance instantly. "Just remembering," she murmured softly. As her fingers began to play with his hair again and try to twist it into a bun, she went on, "Sometimes I worry that I'll forget too much. Or that my memories of them will get too hazy, and that I won't be able to close my eyes and remember what they looked like, you know? I haven't yet, though. I really don't want to."

"You won't." Daryl shifted for a moment, reaching his free hand back to gently squeeze her leg where she stood behind him. He lingered there for a moment, before his hand came back to cup Judith's back where she'd drifted almost completely to sleep. "It's been… more than 20 years, since my Ma died. I still remember her face."

For a second she thought he'd say more, but he trailed off and this time Beth didn't care if anyone was watching. She leaned forward over him and pressed her lips down to his forehead for a few seconds, before pulling back with a soft hum. "What about your brother?"

"Y'mean, do I remember him?" Daryl shrugged. "Course I do. Sometimes I find myself thinkin' it'd be better, if I could forget, but that ain't true. Not all of it, anyway."

When her attempts at a bun failed, Beth let his hair fall, but only for a moment. Only long enough to give her the excuse to start running her fingers through it again and drawing it slowly back into another ponytail. As her nails lightly scratched at his scalp, she said softly, "Well I actually meant… do you think he'd have liked me? I mean, if we ever really talked longer than we did at the prison." Which wasn't really ever, to be honest. Most of the time people had kept her away from him rather pointedly, and the one time she'd had the most interaction with him was when she'd raised her gun and shot the ceiling to him to stop fighting with Glenn.

To her surprise, the question made him laugh. Not just a chuckle, but a genuine laugh that bubbled up in his chest, the rumble of it making Judith stir for just a moment before she sucked her thumb more firmly into her mouth and pressed her little cheek against his flannel shirt. Once his laughter quieted, Daryl remarked, "You'd have knocked him right onto his ass, Greene. Honest. He'd have teased you at first, but you'd 'a come at him when he wasn't even lookin' and bowled him right over. Not for real, I don't mean, you know-"

"Figuratively?" Beth smiled as she began to pull his hair into a low ponytail again.

"Yeah, that. You'd have seen right into him the way you do me, and known just how to handle him. Like y'did even back then, but more. An' before he knew it, he'd have loved you like a little sister. Especially if y' fed him, Merle was always a sucker for a home-cooked meal, I reckon cause we got them so rarely as kids."

"Well then," Beth remarked as she shifted the hair-tie to wrap it gently around his hair. "I'd have cooked something up special for him and had him on his best manners."

"You would've. Probably could've gotten him on the straight and narrow, too, if you'd had a chance." The amusement in his voice faded for a moment as he exhaled a long, drawn-out sigh, and repeated in a near-whisper, "If you'd had a chance, anyway."

As she gently secured the hair-tye, Beth leaned in to rest her lips lightly against his temple. "If I'd had the chance," she whispered softly, "I'd have done my best to get to know your brother and care for him like my own, if I could."

For a few seconds they just stayed there like that; her hands on his shoulders, her cheek resting against his temple, both of them forgetting for a few moments that the group was all around them and chattering away. But eventually she felt Daryl shift beneath her, and as she pulled back with a soft smile she heard him ask, "Alright, now what exactly did you do to my hair, Greene?"

Giggling, Beth reached back and tugged lightly on the little ponytail she'd made for him. "I pulled it back, see? Isn't it nice, having it out of your face? I couldn't make it into a bun, but with the way your hair grows, it should be there in a few weeks!" She stepped back over the bench and came around to look down at him from the front. "Oh, yeah. _Very_ handsome. Let it grow a little longer and maybe I can give you a braid like mine."

"Oh, is that what you'd like?" Daryl snorted and reached out to tug at the little braid that dangled from her own ponytail. "Matching hair styles?"

"Maybe that'll be our thing. You know, crossbows, motorcycles…" She reached around and tugged at his ponytail with a grin. "Matching hairstyles." When he chuckled again, she coyly asked, "What? You don't want to have a matching braid with me?"

Darl just shook his head, but his expression was full of the sort of affection that was becoming more and more open on his face when it came to her, affection that only showed even more as he teased, "You're silly, girl."

"Yeah, but I'm your silly girl, so that's alright." Beth grinned down at him. "Right?"

"Yeah." He shifted both hands around, holding Judith to his chest as he rose slowly to his feet. As he stood there cradling the baby close with one hand, he reached out with the other and gave her braid one more slow tug. "You're my silly girl."

...

Daryl had been right. It was about two days or so later that they found themselves nearing the border of Georgia. He'd told her this morning that they were getting close, and she'd made him promise to let her know when it happened.

Her first sign was the faint slowing of his bike beneath her, and the second the slide of his hand free of the handlebars to rest over hers where it was pressed to his stomach. When he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, she looked up and saw the small sign up ahead on the tree-lined road: "Welcome! We're glad Georgia's on your mind."

An unexpected thrill went through her that had Beth wrapping her arms a little tighter around him, sliding close to press against his back as her mouth found his ear. They weren't going too fast, so she only had to raise her voice a bit to be heard, "I've never left Georgia, and then come _back_," she joked, pressing a kiss to his ear.

She couldn't hear if he tried to reply, but she could feel his laughter vibrating through his back, and Beth just smiled happily as she shifted to press her cheek to the sun-warmed leather of his vest. They were home, again. Or closer to home than she felt like they'd been in a long time.

...

They only drove a short distance over the Georgia line before Daryl was pulling off the road at a little scenic viewpoint. As the RV and the truck-pulled trailer pulled to a stop behind them, Beth dismounted slowly and stretched her arms above her head. The movement pulled up her t-shirt, revealing a hint of her belly that had Daryl smirking faintly as his gaze drifted down for a few seconds.

"Stop that," she teased, taking advantage of their relative privacy for a moment to run her fingers down his arm. "We've gotta be serious and figure out what the plan is next, and I can't concentrate when you're looking at me like that. It's distracting."

"Is it?" Daryl raised an eyebrow and looked her over slowly again. Through her amazement at how even a simple gaze like that from him could make her feel all flushed, Beth managed to reach out and lightly swat at his arm.

"Yes it is, and you know it. Tease." But she was smiling as she leaned in and stole a kiss to his temple, pulling back just as she heard the sound of car door opening behind her.

Daryl climbed off her bike and followed behind her as the group gathered near the RV. Rick had the now-familiar map in his hands and was spreading it out on the ground as he crouched in front of it. The group shifted around him; Daryl and Beth coming up on the left side of the map and Michonne looking down from the right as the other's drew near as well, including Carl holding a half-asleep Judith in his arms.

"Alright," Rick remarked, resting his hands on his thighs as he looked down at the map. "So where to next, then?"

"Before we left," Daryl began, crouching down beside him to gesture at the map, "We were mostly around here. We know there ain't much there that'd be a good place for us, and a lot of it is picked clean for now. I reckon we should try for somewhere new."

Beth hesitated a moment, and then chimed in, "The people at Grady… they had a lot of routes they used, places they used to use as traps, caches and things like that." She looked up briefly, catching the gazes of Noah and Ivy and Hank, who had drifted closer to them from the edges of the group, and after a second she glanced back down at Rick and finished, "We should avoid those, if we can."

"I don't think any of us want to run into them again," Rick said firmly. Beth sighed in relief, but she couldn't quite rid herself of that niggling tension within her, the sudden realization that in a way, by crossing over the Georgia border again, she'd brought herself closer to that hell hole once more. She had no doubt it was still standing, despite their losses. The last thing she wanted was to run into a single one of those cops, corrupt or otherwise.

Luckily, the four Grady survivors had heard plenty of things in their time there, especially Noah and Hank, who had been there the longest. Together they managed to mark out places they knew the cops had favored from eavesdropping and overheard communication on their walkie-talkies.. All of their routes spidered out from Atlanta for obvious reasons, and in the end that was what had Daryl suggesting, "Maybe we should avoid this whole area entirely, to the west and near Atlanta. Gonna have to stay North if we wanna stick to the mountains anyway, but if we keep to the East, should avoid them entirely, right?"

Beth crouched down with Daryl after a moment, her knees bumping his as he reached out to trace a route across the map and went on, "Up here, near Clayton and Lakemont, s'all woods, state parks, mountains… Got a few lakes, it'd be good to be near a lake, or anythin' that flows out of 'em."

Nodding along with him, Beth added, "Plus we might find just the kind of location we need. Places like this, wouldn't they be filled with cabins? If we could find a group of them all together, you know, a little vacation spot… that'd be perfect, wouldn't it?"

"Good thinking," Rick remarked as he looked over both of them. It wasn't the first time he'd complimented her, but Beth still got pleased every time. "So we'll head east, this way," Rick went on firmly, tracing the path Daryl had marked on the map. "Then once we get up around Clayton, we start looking for signs for vacation rentals, or cabins." He chuckled after a moment and glanced up at Daryl, who was peering up at him through a few strands of loose hair. "Or we let Daryl's instinct here guide us to one. And hey, that's not a joke, I trust that instinct of yours more than a map any day."

With a pleased smile, Beth rested her hand on Daryl's shoulder; ostensibly to help herself up but really just to give it a gentle squeeze as she said firmly, "Me too. Any day."

...

"Pickles."

Beth turned to look at Michonne at the woman's pronouncement, and raised her eyebrow. "You miss _pickles_? Why- Well… you know, I kinda miss pickles too. Oh no. _Hamburgers_. With a nice fluffy bun and tomato and lettuce and _pickle_ slices. Lord, but I could go for a burger, with a side of fries and an ice cold pepsi..."

"Too bad all the cows have prob'ly long been eaten," Glenn cut in as he ambled up next to them.

"Could probably make venison burgers," Daryl remarked from up front where he was leading the small group through the woods.

"Yeah, 'cept it'd just be venison patties, since you know… there's no lettuce or pickles, and none of us have had bread in two years, let alone buns." When they all turned to glare at him, Glenn gave a shrug, pretending to be baffled as he asked, "What?"

"You're such a fun ruiner, Glenn." Beth looked over her shoulder to where he was walking with Maggie, and stuck her tongue out at him so he'd know she was teasing.

Beside her, Michonne gave a little chuckle. "Remind me again why I decided to be the fifth wheel on this little family excursion?"

"Because we all like you havin' our back," Daryl remarked seriously for just a moment, before a faint hint of a smile tugged at his lips and he added, "And you're a good buffer to keep me from givin' Glenn over there a good punch."

Glenn's 'hey!' was covered by Beth and Maggie's soft laughter as the five of them kept ambling through the woods, paralleling the road down out of the forest and into the nearest town. The plan of course had been to take the best route to Clayton. Of course these days, a route anywhere was never direct. According to Daryl it would have taken probably an hour or so by car to get to Clayton back in the day, but they were up in the mountains following narrow rpads sometimes blocked by trees or abandoned cars, and doing their best to drive as carefully as possible so they didn't damage their vehicles in a way they couldn't repair.

Even if they had been able head straight towards Clayton without anything blocking their path, they were running low on supplies (as always, these days), which meant they needed to stop where they could along the way. The forests were safer when it came to avoiding herds, but unfortunately they were far fewer cars to siphon gas from, and less homes and stores to raid for any remaining supplies.

The group had made the decision together that some of them would have to risk leaving the woods to head towards a town; none of them were happy about it, but they knew it needed to be done. The first priority had been finding shelter for those not going on the run; in the end Daryl's gut instincts led them up a small steep road to an abandoned cabin. With the rest of the group safely tucked away, a small group including Maggie, Glenn, Beth, Daryl, and Michonne had grabbed as many of the groups gasoline canisters as they could carry while still keeping their hands free for weapons, and headed out to find a town.

By Daryl's reckoning they'd probably have to stop wherever they ended up overnight; by the time they got there the sun would be setting, and even with less walkers around these parts none of them wanted to risk walking back in the dark with nothing but the moon to light their way. On the way through the woods, in between playing their 'food I miss most' game (a favorite past-time), they discussed all the possible ways this could go bad; the town could be filled with walkers, it could still be occupied by people somehow, it could have been completely picked through… they'd not only gone through every possibility, but also come up with plans and contingencies and escape routes.

When they got to the town though, it was almost eerily quiet. The buildings stretched out along either side of the main road, doors hanging open and shutters hanging loose. Nothing made a sound. Of course, everything these days was quiet, but this… there was something about this that had Beth's hackles up and when she came up beside Daryl, she could tell he felt on edge, too. She glanced up at him in silent question, but his head shake just confirmed he felt the same as her; something wasn't right, but he wasn't sure what.

The cause of their worry didn't take long to reveal itself. Beth had half been expecting the groan of a walker, or maybe the shout of people defending their sanctuary, even though the place didn't have the look she'd associate with being occupied. What she hadn't expected at all was a low rumbling growl.

It came from behind them, and the group of five spun around to face it with their weapons raised, only to instantly freeze as the source of the growl revealed itself. It was an animal that slunk out from an open house door. It's fur was reddish with a hint of black around it's face and neck and upper back; it's frame sleek and lean, and it stood a little over two feet at it's shoulder. But it was the head that was most mesmerizing right now, considering the way its large ears were pointing back as it bared its teeth and let that threatening rumble issue from low in it's chest.

In front of her, Glenn bit out a strangled, "Is that-"

"Wolf." Daryl stood stock still beside Beth, reaching his hand out slowly to stop her, too. "Everyone stay very still. If there's one, there's a good chance-" Before he could even finish, Beth heard growls from either side as a second and third wolf, both with the same reddish fur, came slinking up on either side; one came from an alley, while the other came from the side of a building. "-there's more. Or a pack."

For the moment the wolves held their ground, staring down the group of five with their hackles raised and their teeth lightly bared. "Just stay still," Daryl said softly, slowly adjusting his crossbow in his hands. "And don't make eye contact, or they'll think it's a threat, alright? Now, we're all just gonna back away, nice an' slow… _don't run_, whatever you do."

As the group began to take it's first steps back, Beth whispered, "_How_? I didn't even think there were wolves in Georgia?"

"Could've come from elsewhere; up North, or from the West. Might've escaped from a zoo. Plenty of zoos 'round Georgia got wolves, I reckon. Or had." She saw him swallow and gesture faintly at them with his bow. "But see their coats, how red they are? Prob'ly red wolves. Bunch of released in North Carolina, awhile back I think. Bigger'n coyotes, smaller'n grey wolves, so we're lucky about that anyway."

"Oh yeah, I feel _so_ lucky," Glenn murmured sarcastically under his breath.

They all took another step together as Beth kept her eyes on the wolves feet, watching them without looking in their eyes. From the corner of her own gaze she could see Michonne clutching her katana and Glenn and Maggie holding their guns, reading to fire if needed though none of them wanted to make too much noise. Beth had her crossbow in her hands, but she was worried. Wolves moved a lot faster than walkers, when they put their minds to it.

"What're they doing in a town, though?" That was Glenn again, his voice tight with a nervousness now that Beth hadn't heard from him in awhile.

"Why not? Ain't like towns belong to people, anymore," Daryl replied, his voice hushed.

Beside them, Michonne chimed in, "Walkers must be eating all their game; what they don't get, the rest of us do. No wonder they'd be driven to towns, tryin' to scavenge, or…"

"Or what?" Glenn's question was strangled and just a bit too loud, and the first wolf seemed to tense at the sound of it and take a step forward.

"Or find survivors to hunt. Wolves're smart. They'd know by now not to go after walkers, but us… I reckon they can tell the difference. Can probably smell it." Daryl's voice was so soft that Beth could tell he was trying to stay quiet and calm and not make Glenn panic, but unfortunately it didn't work. Fear must have over-rode instinct for just a few seconds, but that was all it took.

"Hunt? _Us_?" Glenn spun around sharply and the wolf behind him- the first and the biggest- moved in a sudden blur of bunching muscles and long, leaping limbs. Beth had just enough time to see a flash of red fur and the sharp white of teeth and then Glenn was falling to the ground in front of her in a tangle of limbs.

His pained cry cut through the snarling growls of all three wolves, and suddenly everything was fur and teeth and the red of blood and Maggie, crying out in a panic through it all, "Glenn! No!"

Beth lifted her bow in a panic, trying to sight on something, anything, trying to hit the wolf without hitting Glenn pinned beneath it… and then from behind her came another low, threatening growl.

There were more than just three wolves in the abandoned town they'd walked into. And they were surrounded.

****A/N: Are you all screaming that I ended it there? Whoops! Sorry! (You can blame my friend Connor, who suggested a cliffhanger ending. This is dedicated to her!) Anyway, I'm sure some of you are like, gasp, wolves? Well I wanted to try something different! TWD never really addresses animals except for food and occasional horse-riding, which I assume is because of their budget or something. But just think about all those carnivores with suddenly far more space and no one hunting them, but their own food dwindling thanks to the walkers... you'd think they were bound to run into them eventually, right? Yep! (By the way if you're curious, you can read more about North Carolina's red wolf recovery plan if you google it!)**

**I will do my best to have the next chapter up soon, however it may be longer than usual again. The return of TWD this weekend has me very anxious and so it makes it harder for me to work on this piece. I assure you, I will never 'forget' about this story, it just may take me a bit to update until my anxiety gets better. I am, however, writing a very fluffy new non-zombie AU called Peach Pie and French Fries, which I'd love you all to check out if you're interested.**


	6. I Hate Goodbyes

****WARNINGS: Animal death, blood and gore.**

For some people adrenaline made everything turn into a fast and frantic blur once but for Daryl it was the opposite. For him, everything seemed to slow. His focus became even tighter, his vision sharper; sometimes it was like he could almost feel himself moving in slow motion as he picked apart the scene, just as he was doing right now.

Glenn was on the ground with the largest of the red wolves pinning him down, paws on either of his shoulders and jaws snapping at his mouth. The man was alive, he knew that much because despite the blood staining the wolf's muzzle, Glenn was moving beneath it and fighting to hold the creature back. But just past him the other two wolves were coming slowly forward with their ears back and their teeth bared, snarling and snapping, occasionally making lunging motions at Michonne and Maggie as if to try and get them to bolt, or move back from where they stood on either side of Glenn. He knew in a flash what they were doing; trying to separate the weak and injured person from the group so they could take him down together. Neither of the women drew back, though; he could see Michonne raising her blade and Maggie pointing her gun at the wolf that had pinned down Glenn as she cried out for him to try and hold it still.

Daryl saw it all in only a few seconds and then his focus shifted; first to Beth, holding her crossbow steady next to him and then, with a dropping sensation in his gut, to the growls coming from behind them. He turned around, but his attempt to move slowly and not draw attention only meant that he was halfway turned when he saw the bunching muscles and sharp teeth and fur, flying through the air-

-but not at him. At _Beth_. The wolf's paws slammed into her back and drove her to her knees and then to the ground with a 'crack' of her head to the pavement. Her crossbow went tumbling away from her as the wolf pinned her down, paws at her shoulders, breathing out a low growl against the back of her neck. Despite the clarity with which he saw everything- or perhaps because of it- Daryl felt like he was moving through soup. The creature bared its teeth, ready to bite- to bite into _his Beth_, to tear her flesh and make her bleed- and a growl rumbled in Daryl's chest to rival the beast's own as he lifted his food and slammed it hard into the wolf's back.

The creature yelped as it toppled off her but recovered quickly, whirling around with a snarl and a flash of teeth just in time for Daryl to raise his crossbow and shoot it right through the eye, sending it tumbling to the ground. He barely spared the wolf another glance; his eyes were on Beth lying on the ground beneath him. All he wanted to do was drop to his knees and pull her into his arms to make sure she was okay, but some part of him was still aware of the growls around him, mingling with the cries of Maggie and Glenn. He knew it wasn't save, he _knew_ that, but it took almost all of his self control not to reach for her.

He tore his gaze away from Beth just in time to see Michonne mimic his own movements, striding forward and slamming her foot into the side of the wolf currently pinning down Glenn. This one was quicker; it whirled in a blur of fur and snapping teeth, very nearly getting Michonne's leg before she leapt gracefully back and then spun around, a flash of steel singing through the air followed by a bright splash of blood as she scored her blade along the side of the wolf's lean frame.

With a sharp yelp the wolf turned tail and ran, blood splattering in it's trail. Outnumbered, their leader fleeing, the remaining two wolves gave one last frantic snarl and took off running after their wounded pack leader. In seconds Daryl was dropping to his knees beside Beth, who still lay face down on the ground. Blood pounded so hard in his veins that he could hear it, roaring in his ears. Adrenaline and fear made his hands shake as he reached for her, afraid to touch her, afraid to find out she was hurt, or worse (_dead gone, lost her, lost her again, it's all your fault, you let her get hurt taken violated killed gone gone gone_), and he was practically praying: please let her be okay.

And then just as his fingers brushed hesitantly over her back, she groaned and shifted beneath him. His 'fucking god' and 'Beth' were all exhaled in a rush as he reached for her, running one hand gingerly over the back of her head. "Beth, you hear me? Don't try an' move too fast, okay? Hit your head and-" She turned slowly to look at him, one cheek pressed on the pavement. There was blood on her forehead and dripping slightly down her cheek and the sight of it had his stomach lurching again.

But she fixed her hazy eyes on him and of course her first damn thought was to reassure him, "M'okay. M'okay Daryl. Just… check Glenn. Check on Glenn." The thought unfurled in his mind again, as it had so many times before: she was too damn good for this shitty world.

He looked up, but Michonne was already there on her knees with Maggie next to Glenn, who he could faintly see stirring. "I got 'em," Michonne murmured, worry heavy in her dark eyes. "You check your girl."

_His girl_. His girl laying there on the ground all splayed out, blood on her hair again because he hadn't been fast enough, hadn't protected her. Again. In his mind he saw that car, flying away from him with her in it. He saw her standing in the middle of that damn hallway, slamming scissors into the cop's neck. He saw the red flash of her blood as she crumbled to the floor just like she was now, splayed there like a broken doll. No. Not a doll, not broken, not his _Beth_. She cut into his thoughts by reaching for him, hands scrambling across his knee and brushing across the hole in his jeans before curling against his thigh. "Daryl-"

Her choked voice had his focus instantly on her again, right there in the present. "S'okay," he murmured back, determined to be the one to reassure_her_ again. "I got you, Beth. C'mere, let's go nice and careful-like, alright?" His hands were more gentle than they'd ever been, except maybe for those days in the hospital when he'd touched her like she was porcelain, like if he gripped her hand too hard she might shatter, might drift back into that coma and float away from him forever.

Daryl reached down and helped her up slowly, only enough to pull her into his lap. Despite the care he took to go slow and be gentle, Beth whimpered as her head lolled a bit, and he bit back a curse at himself as he shifted his hand instead to cradle her against his chest. "There, I got ya. Better?"

"Mhm." She spoke carefully but her eyes seemed focused, despite the blood running down her cheek and the scrap on the opposite side. "Head hurts, though…"

"I know, I know. You hit your head on the ground, when it pounced on you." He brushed his hand through her hair where it had come loose from her ponytail, and gently cupped the back of her head. "But you hurt anywhere else? Did it get you, did it bite you?"

It wasn't the first time any of them'd had to ask that, but he'd never expected it to be like this. Daryl couldn't help but imagine the far worse scenario, the panic and pain and desperation he'd feel right now if it had been a walker, instead of a wolf. Funny how he could almost be relieved that it has _just_ been a wolf.

"No…" Her voice was slow but not slurred, and he knew that was good. "Just my head. It didn't… didn't get me anywhere else, but… but Glenn."

Her insistence on focusing on someone other than her was both endearing and frustrating. It reminded him of how damn much he loved her (and why), but it made him want to curse because he just wanted to take her away somewhere so he could take care of her and help her heal without him needed to worry about everyone else. But he knew she was right. He knew he couldn't just ignore Glenn, or Maggie and Michonne either.

With Beth still cradled in his arms he turned to look over at them again, frowning when Michonne gave a slow, worried shake of her head. "He's got a bad bite on his forearm. Pretty deep. Gonna need some supplies to treat it, antibiotics for the risk of infection…"

"Rabies." Beth spoke up in a rasp from Daryl's arms, but licked her lips and focused more clearly as she repeated, "Rabies. Wild wolves, they might have… rabies. He needs a shot, they have one… can't remember what it's called but Daddy had to give Otis one, once, after some rabid coyote got into the chicken coop and… you're supposed to do it right away if you can... Maggie knows. _Maggie_."

Beth's older sister was kneeling beside her husband much like Daryl had knelt beside Beth, only she had his head in her lap and was running her fingers through his hair. He could see the panic on her face, the same desperate worry he felt running through his own veins, but when Maggie looked up and met her sister's eyes he saw her struggling to get control.

"He needs rabies medicine. That shot Daddy gave… Otis…" Beth paused to swallow, but as far as he could tell she wasn't drifting at all and her voice still wasn't slurring, so he didn't think she was concussed. That was good. After a moment she went on, "You gotta find it. There has to be a doctor's office in this town, maybe even a vet might have it just in case…"

Beside them, Michonne was looking around worriedly. "First we need to get out of the street. They might come back, or worse…"

He knew she was right, and the thought chilled him. The blood on the street might attract the wolves back, or worse, walkers. "Gonna lift you up," he murmured to Beth, who nodded slowly and shifted to wrap her arms around his neck. She leaned her head against him as he gripped her carefully and rose slowly to his feet with her cradled in his arms. "Feelin' okay?" He asked again, worry saturating his voice as he looked down at the precious burden in his arms until her blue eyes met his and she slowly nodded again. "M'alright," she breathed out, "Feelin' a little dizzy but only a little. My head hurts a lot."

"You ain't queasy? Hear any, uh… ringin' in your ears or like you're confused or nothin?" When she shook her head immediately, Daryl sighed. "Might not be a concussion, then…"

"How do you know so much about concussions?" Michonne asked as she and Maggie carefully helped Glenn sit up, and slid their arms under his to help him stand.

"Merle," Daryl remarked lowly, tearing his gaze away from Beth but only for a moment. "Was always gettin' into fights, gettin' himself punched in the head."

"Hm." Michonne flashed him a look. "Explains a lot about Merle…"

To his surprise the levity was just what he needed to ease a hint of his tension, though he was still on edge and filled with concern for Beth cradled in his arms, blood running down her cheek again so similar to the way it had before, back at the hospital. Carrying her like this was all too similar and he could feel that same sense of panic deep inside that he had then, terrified that he was about to lose her. He had to get her to safety, had to clean her up and find her pain pills.. and Glenn's medicine too, of course, but there was no denying who he was most concerned for.

He turned around slowly with Beth in his arms, gaze sweeping over the nearby houses and buildings. Anything with open doors he discarded, too worried that walkers or wild creatures may have gotten inside and made it unsafe. One caught his eye; the first floor looked to be a small Mom and Pop type grocery store with the door and windows boarded up, but judging by the glimpse of curtains he could see on the second floor windows there was possibly a residence up there.

Beside him, Maggie and Michonne were standing up now with Glenn slung between them, and when Michonne met his gaze Daryl nodded with his chin towards a building across the street. "Look good to you?" He could see Michonne's gaze taking in the same things his had, from the boarded up windows to the closed door, to the second floor, and when she turned to him and nodded back they headed right for it.

It took longer than he'd have liked for the women to get Glenn across the street, half-dragging him between them as he struggled to keep upright. For Daryl, carrying Beth in his arms was easy; even with her holding her crossbow she weighed almost nothing. (_Almost_, he reminded himself, because Beth was far from nothing. She was light but she had a weight in his arms, a warm weight, an _alive_ weight.)

His thoughts had him instinctively cradling her closer as they reached the door to the little shop. With Maggie helping to prop Glenn against the wall, Michonne slipped free to check the door. Daryl watched, his fingers curling nervously into Beth's side as Michonne gently rattled the doorknob. "Locked," she muttered, before turning her katana around to line up the butt of it with one of the square glass panels set into the door. With a swift sharp movement she broke the glass and knocked it out with the handle of her blade. They all paused, ears tuned for the sound of movement inside or around them, for walkers- or anything else- drawn to the sound of the shattered glass.

Each one of them had an internal clock in their mind, ticking down the seconds until they deemed it was probably safe: 5 seconds, 10, 15, 20… Though each of them knew just as well that these days you could never be assured of safety, they still did it anyway, still listened to the slow ticking instinct in their mind, some remnant instinct of humanity's past that was suddenly relevant once again. After a few moments Michonne reached through the hole in the door and quickly curved her hand down until she found the lock, turned it, and pulled back to open the door.

They straddled the line of caution and worry; all of them wanting to get inside as quickly as they could but none of them wanting to risk another attack. Michonne went in first, and despite his desire to find safety within, Daryl didn't follow until he heard her softly call out from inside, "Clear."

Only then did he step through with Beth in his arms, held close as they moved into the dark shop that was only dimly lit by the sunlight that filtered in through the cracks between the boards covering the dusty windows. Dust motes glinted in the faint streaks of sunlight and he peered through them, trying to make shapes in the gloom beyond. Dimly he could see a few small half-aisles covered in shadowy shapes, and to the right he saw the solid structure of a counter, with what looked like an old-fashioned cash register on top.

"We can check for supplies later," Michonne remarked as Maggie came in behind them with Glenn supported against her side. "We need to get them upstairs first. I'll go ahead. Don't wanna get stuck on the stairs with them injured."

He felt bad, letting Michonne go alone, but he knew the woman could handle herself better than anyone and besides, too many people in a small space would probably make things worse. Still, it was a tense five minutes or so, the four of them huddled down below, Daryl holding Beth and Maggie leaning against the counter with Glenn, while they listened to the creaks of Michonne's footsteps above and tried not to anticipate the sound of anything worse.

"Found the couple who must have owned this place," Michonne said softly as she came back down the stairs. "They… didn't turn." He knew instantly what that meant; knew that the couple had ended their lives presumably with a bullet to the head before they could get ended by something else. Michonne cast a quick glance at Beth, but didn't say anything else except to briefly add, "Closed the door to the room they were in, but there's another room we can use. Living room, has two couches. You go first, I'll help Maggie with Glenn."

Somehow Maggie and Michonne managed to get Glenn up the stairs, though it was slow going. Daryl had a much easier time of it though he went slowly, cradling Beth gently and safely in his arms. She'd been so quiet since they'd gotten inside but he knew she was still awake at least because she blinked up at him when he settled her gently on the small, dusty sofa. "You feelin' okay still?"

"Yeah." Beth's voice was soft, and he studied her intently, making sure she still wasn't slurring her words as she went on, "I'm okay, promise. Just hurts, that's all. I feel better now that I'm laying down, though."

Her eyes held his for a moment and then her gaze flicked to Glenn, but when he saw her open her mouth to speak Daryl cut her off with a low murmur, "Don't tell me I need to go check on Glenn."

"But you do," Beth said with a soft, understanding smile, "And you know you do." She reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair, drawing him down until his forehead rested against hers. "I'm okay. I'll be right here. Besides, checking on him will make me feel better, see? It's a win/win."

A win/win would be if none of them had been injured, a win/win would have been if he hadn't lead them into a town full of wolves, but he couldn't change that now and Daryl knew she was right. Still it took him a moment to pull back from her, to draw away from her side and cross reluctantly to the other couch where Glenn was laid out, Maggie on her knees in front of him ripping his shirt to get better access to the wolf bite on his arm.

The one thing that kept him from turning right back to Beth's side was her voice, calling out instructions, "You need to clean the wound. Water, for now, but if they've got soap that'll help, too. And gauze, anything to press down and slow the bleeding."

"I'll go check their bathroom." Michonne turned and left, leaving Daryl and Maggie face to face with the gory wound on Glenn's arm where the wolf had bit down and, if the flashes he'd seen were right, probably begun to shake and whip his head roughly too, which only would have torn Glenn's flesh even more.

For his part Glenn was holding up well, breathing in and out raggedly but holding onto consciousness. Somehow in the face of it all he even managed to joke, "Can't stop nursing even when you're injured too, huh Beth?"

"You shush," she teased right back from her couch.

"Nah, I know it's just cause you love me now," Glenn said weakly as his head tipped back against the couch pillow.

"Well you're annoying, but you're my brother, so…" The sound of Beth shifting to sit up a bit on the couch had Daryl instantly turning to give her a warning look. She matched it with an eyebrow raise of her own, a silent 'what?' to his 'be careful!' that lasted until he sighed, shook his head and turned back to Glenn.

By the time they'd used some of their water to clean Glenn's wound, Michonne was back with a an unopened box of soap, a hand-towel, and a half-empty box of gauze pads. "We're in luck," she remarked, though there was a quirk to the corner of her lips that they all understood. So many odd things were considered luck these days.

Daryl helped Maggie to clean Glenn's wound as best they could with the soap, water, and towel, but his gaze strayed in between to Beth whenever it could. Each time she made sure to hold his eyes and give him a reassuring smile, and he knew rationally that she was right there, safe and okay, but as soon as Maggie was pressing the gauze down on his wound Daryl was up and moving back to her side.

Brushing aside her protests, he used the other end of the towel and the rest of the soapy water to gently clean away the blood from her wound. Each time she winced he stilled, only going on when he was sure she was okay. His touch was gentle, almost tender, never looking away from her as for a few moments, the entire world faded down to the woman lying beneath him as he gently brushed away the blood that stained her pale skin. He worked intently, as if by wiping away the blood he could wash away not only the signs, but her actual injury and the guilt he felt deep inside that it was his fault.

"How does it look?" Her whispered words broke into his concentration, making him frown for a moment before he shifted focus.

"S'okay. Not too bad, anyway."

"Be honest, should I count on adding another scar to my collection?"

He knew she was joking, but that furrow deepened in his brow as Daryl shifted his hand, allowing his thumb to graze the scar on her cheek for a moment. "Don't think so," he murmured softly. He swallowed hard, pushing away thoughts of how she'd gotten her previous wounds, trying to ignore the whispering doubtful voices that claimed all of them were his fault for not being there when she needed him. Trying to focus on her lighter voice, he forced himself to joke, "Not that you couldn't pull off another scar if you had to."

"Daryl…" Beth nudged his hand out of the way for a moment and reached up to cup his cheek. "I know that look in your eyes. This isn't your fault, okay? Don't start feeling guilty on me. Don't blame yourself for this. You didn't hurt me." She was so close he could feel her exhaled sigh, even as he felt her thumb caress his cheek as she whispered again, "This isn't your fault, Daryl Dixon."

He opened his mouth to reply, but whether he was going to protest or agree, it was cut off when Michonne broke in behind them. "Don't mean to interrupt, but Beth was right before. We need to try and find that medication as soon as possible. Antibiotics, but especially the rabies shot. And we need to find it as fast as possible."

"Maggie needs to go." Beth's words, though soft-spoken, instantly had Maggie looking up at her as if to protest. "I'm sorry Maggie, but it has to be you. You're the only one beside me who would know the right medicine when you see it, and-" She broke off for a moment and Daryl had just enough time to wonder why she was so hesitant before she was going on, "And Daryl should go with you."

"No." His reply was low, rough, and immediate as he looked down into her big blue eyes and shook his head. "No. I ain't leavin' you, Beth."

"You gotta," she breathed out, a hint of plaintiveness seeping into her voice before she slowly lifted her hand to cup his cheek again. "Someone has to go with Maggie, and it should be you. You're the best spotter, and with your bow you can take out any walkers or wolves from a distance, if you need to. Plus you've got that gut instinct of yours, I dunno how it works so well, but if anyone can find what we need quick, it'll be you. It's never let us down before, has it?"

He wanted to protest that it had, that his gut had lost him her once already, almost, but even he knew that wasn't true. It was his distraction that had lost her, in the end, his gut had lead him right back to her again, even if it had seemed to take forever. Still, he couldn't help protesting, "Beth-" Again his focus narrowed down just to her, as the thought of being separated from her at all, let alone when she was injured, made his stomach wrench. It wasn't like they hadn't been apart since being reunited at the hospital, but it had been rare and never like this, and the thought of leaving her here hurt, knowing something could happen to either of them while they were separated…

"Do it for me," she murmured as her thumb brushed over the rough stubble of his cheek. "Go get me the pain pills I need, go get my brother-in-law the medicine he needs, too. Please, Daryl? I promise, I'll be here waiting for you. And I know you'll come back to me." She drew him in again till their foreheads pressed together, and when he inhaled it was almost like he was drawing her breath and her words into his chest, "We always come back to each other, remember?"

He remembered. He just hoped this wouldn't be the one time it failed them. But the memory of all the times they'd found their way back to each other- the hospital, the Hunters, Richmond, the campsite cliff- flashed through his mind, and that was what had him nodding in agreement in the end, albeit reluctantly.

"I'm not gonna even say goodbye," she whispered, but despite the people behind them Beth took the moment to brush her lips against his, and thankfully the warmth of her mouth chased away the lingering whispered memory of once-spoken words- _I hate goodbyes_.

When he rose to his feet, he didn't even have to look at Michonne before she was already saying, "Don't worry. I'll keep them both safe."

"And hey," Beth murmured, dragging her crossbow into her arms on the couch. "I'm not helpless, see?"

Daryl waited for Maggie to extricate herself from Glenn's side, before the both of them made their way to the door. "We'll try to be back within an hour, okay?"

"Yeah yeah, okay." Glenn's raspy voice cut in from the couch where he attempted to add some levity to the situation again by teasing, "Get me some McDonalds while you're out, okay?"

"I could go for a burger, myself," Michonne added with a smile as she leaned against Beth's couch and slid her katana into it's sheath, before pointedly going on, "Pickles, don't forget."

"Large fries for me! And a coke, please." That was Beth, her joking words actually putting a faint hint of a smile on his lips before he shook his head and followed Maggie out of the living room and back down the stairs with only one last lingering look over his shoulder. It was the smile she gave him that he knew would drive him to get back to her as quickly as possible.

...

Despite how calm she had been with Daryl, Beth was more anxious than she let on about the two of them separating. It must have showed on her face the moment he left, because only a few seconds after the door closed Michonne had pushed off the side of the couch and rounded it to sit carefully down on the coffee table instead.

"You okay?"

Beth ran her fingers lightly near her cleaned wound and gave a faint smile. "Everyone keeps asking me that. Glenn's the one that got bit by a wolf..."

"Yeah," Glenn remarked, sighing as he settled back against the couch with a faint wince. "But you've got those big blue doe eyes, a guy like me just can't compete."

Though Michonne snorted faintly, when she looked back down at Beth she murmured, "You know I didn't mean like that, right?"

"I know." Beth was quiet for a moment as she shifted a bit, sitting up against a pillow on the couch and settling the weight of her crossbow into her lap. "I uh… I just hate the thought of him out there without me, that's all. I know he can take care of himself, heck, if there's anyone I thought who could make it through a herd of walkers on his own and find his way back, it'd be Daryl, it's just…"

"If it had to happen, you'd rather you were at his side?" Michonne ventured the question thoughtfully, and their eyes met for a moment before Beth nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, exactly." She kept her eyes open, tried not to imagine him out there without her, tried not to think about how every door he opened might have a walker behind it, that she wouldn't be at his side to help him, to be the partner she was so used to being. "It's not that I don't think he's strong. I just think we're stronger together. I think we _all_ are." Beth added that last emphatically. Despite the anxiety she got sometimes when the confines of the group got too small, despite how sometimes she had wished she and Daryl could just walk off into the woods and be alone, just the two of them… she knew that their group was stronger together, stronger when they were working together to keep each other safe.

"We are," Michonne agreed as her hands settled on her lap. "It's part of why you were right, to push for us to come back here, to find a place to settle. It's what we need. Not just some place to run to, to try to fit ourselves into… some place to make our own." Hearing so many words come from the often-quiet woman put a soft smile on Beth's lips, though she resisted the urge to reach out and squeeze Michonne's hand. Sometimes, she could be just as private about touch as Daryl was.

"I guess we can add wolves to the list of things to plan for, once we find a place." Beth shook her head. "I feel stupid for not even considering things like wild animals, you know?"

"Don't be, none of us thought of it." Michonne settled back slightly, stretching out her legs as she went on, "Maybe in some ways, we're still thinking too much like we used to. We're still thinking about that old food-chain, with us at the very top and everything else below us. It's hard to remember that it might have changed. That we might not be the top, anymore."

"It's _scary_ to think about," Beth admitted in a murmur.

"You're tellin' me," Glenn chimed in from opposite her, where he was gently holding onto his arm. The sight of him had Beth's brow furrowing; she could see the blood beginning to stain through his gauze. "We'd better get something else to put pressure on that and stop the bleeding…"

Michonne went and fetched another towel, folding it up and pressing it down against Glenn's wound until he hissed. "Shit. Sorry." He groaned. "I don't know if I should ask you what the symptoms of rabies are or not, Beth."

"Probably not the best idea," Beth remarked with a faint, if worried smile.

"Is it gonna terrify me or something?"

"No. But you know, I don't wanna put it into your head. That way, if you show any of the symptoms I'll know it's real and not just you thinking you have it because I told you what to expect."

"Gee, thanks…" He frowned, and then chuckled. "I think."

"Don't worry," Michonne said softly as she kept pressure on the wound. "They'll be back soon."

Beth's gaze drifted to the window, as if she could stare hard enough to see right through the wall around it and find them, wherever they were. Though she was mostly there on the couch focusing on the window, in a small part of her mind she was back on the farm, sitting on her father's desk in his study, listening to him talk about coyotes and rabies, and how you could tell if an animal or a human was infected. While she kept watch and distantly listened to Michonne and Glenn talking behind her, Beth ran over the symptoms of rabies, hearing her Daddy's words vaguely whispering through her mind: _Tingling sensation around the wound, dizziness, nausea, fever, headache..._

The symptoms wouldn't show for a day or so, but they needed to get to it before them. If they weren't quick enough, they wouldn't be able to stop it spreading… and if Glenn had rabies, that would be it. There was no cure once the infection took hold. Just thinking that sounded so much like the walker bites that Beth felt a tendril of fear uncoil within her. She turned slowly to look at Glenn, and felt worry for him twine through her just as her worry for Daryl did, too. He had to be okay, he just had to. For all of their sakes, sure, but for Maggie's, especially. Now that she had Daryl, Beth could imagine just what it would feel like for Maggie to lose her husband. The pain of that was something Beth didn't even want to imagine, let alone experience. Beth would do just about anything to stop that from happening and she knew Daryl would, too.

Dimly she heard Michonne murmur again that they'd be back soon, and though she stopped herself from saying it out loud, in her mind all she could think was: _I hope so._

Just like she hoped they'd come back with the medicine Glenn needed, because otherwise… No, she wouldn't think about that. Daryl was out there looking, with Maggie at his side sure, but if there was anyone she trusted to save the day it was Daryl Dixon.

****A/N: I hope this was as exciting as I wanted it to be! Though I know it won't be as thrilling as the Hunters chapter. Still kind of ended on another cliffhanger, didn't I? WHOOPS! I almost ended it on the part where Daryl left, but I wanted to include a section with Beth and Michonne, so there we go. Next update should hopefully be within the week!**


	7. More Than Okay

****WARNING: Animal death.**

The time was going by so slowly as she lay there, stuck on the couch and trying to peer out the window in the wall a few feet away from her. The mental clock ticked away in her mind, _tick, tick, tick_, only each beat of the second hand brought with it a flash of Daryl out there alone on the streets, Daryl faced with walkers or wolves, Daryl without her to have his back. The only thing that had stopped Beth from getting up and moving the couch by the window so she could watch out of it more easily had been a rather stern look from Michonne that would have made her laugh if she wasn't so worried.

She knew the woman was right, of course. She was injured, and despite the fact that she was nowhere near as bad off as Glenn it wasn't gonna help her to get up, let alone to try manual labor. But she was worried. Every minute (every second) he was out there without her meant she couldn't be sure that he was okay, and it was like it was eating away at her no matter how much confidence Beth had that Daryl, of all people, would always find his way back to her.

"He said they'd be back in an hour, Beth." Michonne's murmur came from behind her and Beth turned away from the window to give the woman a tight smile.

"I know. It's only been a half hour or so, I think. I just wish…" Her head turned again, gaze peering out the window a few feet from her and studying the sliver she could see of the street below as she murmured, "I just wish I knew where they were and that they were okay…"

...

The streets had seemed clear, but Daryl was being cautious. He couldn't get the snarls of those wolves out of his head, and he figured Maggie couldn't either because she was being just as careful beside him as they'd crept down the street looking for somewhere that might have what they needed.

In the end what they spotted was a small little pharmacy; probably family-owned judging by the look of it. It was a small shop on the main street, with a little green awning and gold lettering on the large window reading: _Mertz Pharmacy_. Through the smudged and dusty windows he could vaguely make out the shapes of shelves in the dim lighting and he could only hope they were still stocked with some supplies.

"C'mon," he said only a little roughly, pulling Maggie's attention to him from where she'd been peering down the street towards where the others were. He knew the feeling; he felt that same pull back to the others. But it wasn't just that he'd rather be back there with Beth, it was that he wished she was right here with him, too. Maggie was clever and strong and could hold her own, but he was instantly aware of the lack of familiarity with her; the fact that he couldn't just signal silently or nod at the door and have her know what to do in an instant.

But they managed. It took a little more talking than it would've with Beth but eventually they got into the pharmacy and took care of the two walkers roaming around inside. The place looked a little picked clean, but not overly so. Daryl would always be grateful for small towns like this, tucked up in the middle of nowhere and forgotten.

The medicine they needed was of course their main goal, but it was rare these days to find a shop that still had things they might need in stock, so Daryl took the time to detour through the aisles, sliding a couple things into his bag; soap, bandages, antibiotic ointment, gauze, pads and tampons (he'd long since gotten used to the embarrassment of picking those up, it was more than worth the gratitude the women in their group always had when someone brought them back), even a bottle of tylenol that wasn't too far expired.

He assumed that Maggie was doing a search of her own until he rounded the end of an aisle and saw her just standing and staring at one of the shelves. It wasn't until he got close that he realized she was staring at boxes of condoms, of all things. Ignoring the faint burning in the tips of his ears, Daryl cleared his throat and said, "Don't tell me you're too embarrassed t' take 'em with me here, I mean it ain't like y'all are very private about that…" Lord knew they'd all heard her and Glenn going at it more times than he could count.

Daryl regretted the remark as soon as he said it because sure, there was a faint smile on Maggie's lips but it was distant, and when she turned her head to meet his gaze he saw sadness in her eyes. "Shit. Sorry…" He didn't even know fully what he was apologizing for, except that he reckoned it had something to do with the fact that Glenn was injured and possibly at risk of dying and here he was, making jokes about sex.

"No, don't apologize." Maggie gave another one of those sad little smiles. "It's not you, it's just… this." She waved her hand at the condoms, but all Daryl could do was raise his eyebrows in bafflement. He had no damn idea what she was talking about but he really hoped she wasn't gonna cry. He was shit at dealing with crying women, except for Beth of course and even then he was still always worried he'd screw it up.

But after a moment, Maggie drew in a deep breath and explained, "The first time Glenn and I… got together. We were at the pharmacy in town, by the farm. We went on a run together and just… well. And it was all because he picked up a pack of condoms and…" She broke off, chuckling. "Lord, he had no game at all, you know? He had no game at all and he was so damn awkward but he was so _sweet_ and cute, which was so not my type before him anyway and I just- I don't wanna lose him, Daryl. I can't lose him. He's just gotta be okay, he's just gotta."

She was tearing up again and if it had been a year ago he'd probably have just turned and fled. Or growled at her. But he wasn't that man anymore. He'd changed; he knew that, even if he couldn't really remember the process of changing. (Except dimly he knew it was all tied up in big blue eyes and soft blonde hair and the heat of moonshine in his belly and the crackle of flames.) Hesitantly Daryl lifted his hand and squeezed her shoulder for a long moment before he murmured, "He's gonna be okay. We'll find the medicine and he'll be okay. An' you can bring one of these boxes back an' make some joke with him about it, and everything'll be okay. Alright?"

After a moment she gave a sharp little nod and Daryl pulled his hand away, breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn't fucked that up. His thoughts ranged to Beth, wondering if she'd have been proud of him for the way he'd handled that. He had a feeling she would have been. He could just imagine the little smile she'd give him, all pleased and sweet.

"She really does get into your head, doesn't she?" Maggie's voice cut into Daryl's thoughts, and he looked up with his brow furrowed before she went on, "Beth. She's always been like that, even when we were kids. I had, uh, a bit of a temper problem sometimes when we were younger. You know, if someone was being rude I'd always wanna snap at them or whatever? But Beth, she could always diffuse the situation. And if someone was upset she _always_ knew what to say somehow. She always knew whether someone needed a hug, or advice, or a listening ear." Maggie laughed and ran her fingers through her short hair. "At first I was just kinda amused by it, I guess. I didn't even realize she was getting into my head until I'd be in some situation where someone was upset and I'd end up thinking... what would Beth do, you know?"

Yeah. He knew, without a doubt. Daryl hummed and gave a nod of his head, and Maggie just smiled. "See if it was before, like back at the prison or the farm, I'd have expected you to just roll your eyes or grunt at me, I dunno, or just not care." Maggie scrunched up her nose in a way that was surprisingly similar to Beth, enough to have him faintly amused even as she went on, "Not that I'm trying to say she changed you or something, like on purpose."

He was quiet for a moment, turning to look at the boxes on the shelf in front of him so he wouldn't have to look right in Maggie's eyes. "She did, though. Change me. Not on purpose, but she did. Or, uhh…" He shrugged one shoulder and rubbed the back of his hand across his brow for a moment as she struggled to find the right words. "She brought it out of me, or somethin', I dunno." He gave a low chuckle and added, "Didn't make me a poet or nothin', that's for sure."

Maggie's low laughter joined his own as she added, "Now that would be weird."

He had to agree with that. Being around Beth might make him think all sorts of poetic things sometimes, but he'd never say them out loud. He felt them though, like he felt so many things around her. So many good things because it just radiated out of her like the warm rays of the sun. So after a moment of scratching his chin again, he just said simply, "I think she's just _good_, that's all. She's so good it just… it kinda rubs off on you. You know?"

"Yeah." Maggie's voice was soft again, distant but in a fond sort of way. "Yeah, I know."

They stayed in silence for a moment longer before Daryl cleared his throat and straightened his shoulder. "Anyway. I reckon the medicine is in the back. Should get goin' and see if we can find what we need."

But of course, both of them took the time (with only a little embarrassment) to grab a few boxes of condoms and stick them in their bags. They were, after all, highly sought-after commodities.

...

"_Beth_," Michonne said warningly, raising an eyebrow as she caught Beth struggling to sit up again and peer out the window.

As she settled back against the couch, Beth replied meekly, "Sorry…" She really did mean it. Even more, she knew she was being silly. It was fine; the town was quiet, they were just doing a quick run… she didn't know why she was so on edge, but she couldn't seem to turn it off and it was really starting to get to her.

Looking up and catching sight of both Michonne and Glenn watching her, Beth struggled to explain, "It's just… I dunno I feel on edge. Like my warning bells are going off-" Glenn raised his eyebrows and Beth gave him a tiny smile, "Sorry, it's something Daryl and I say. It's just… don't you ever get the feeling like something isn't right? Or like it's about to go bad?"

Glenn looked unsure, but Michonne was studying her with a look of complete understanding before she asked, "You feelin' that right now?"

Beth hesitated, teeth worrying at her lower lip as her fingers twisted into her shirt. "Yes. Maybe. I don't know, it's… I feel like I do, but I'm just not quite sure if it's because something might go wrong now, or if I'm all on edge because of the wolves, you know?"

"Yeah." Michonne turned and walked to the window slowly, her hand on the hilt of her katana as she stared through the smudged glass to the street below. "Tell you what. I'll keep watch, alright? And if those… warning bells of yours get any stronger, you let me know."

It was the best they could do now, and Beth knew it, but she still felt that stirring of not-quite-right in her gut as she settled against the couch and drew in a slow breath.

...

Finding painkillers wasn't too hard; Daryl knew the names of almost all of those thanks to Merle and his drug dealing (not to mention his drug habit). He grabbed a bottle of Vicodin he knew wouldn't be too debilitatingly strong, and also worked his way around the shelves to pick up some antibiotics like Amoxicillin and other medication as well; Beth would appreciate the additions to their medical supplies, which were always too damn low. He did his best to find the ones that hadn't been expired too long though it was getting harder and harder these days. It made him wonder what they would do when it became too dangerous to use expired medication anymore.

"How's it going," he called out lowly to Maggie, who had been tasked with finding the rabies medicine. Even as he asked, he could tell it wasn't going well. Maggie was getting more and more frantic, rushing through the shelves and knocking bottles over and mumbling under her breath as her hands faintly trembled.

"Hey…" Daryl's voice was careful as he came up beside her. "Slow down. This ain't gonna help you find it, Maggie."

"It's not here!" Her voice was tighter and higher than he'd heard it before and he knew she was about to panic. "It's not here, I can't find it, and if I can't find it-"

"Hey. Okay." Without thinking, Daryl reached out again, curling his fingers around her arm to steady her. "It's okay. It might still be here, and if it is, we'll find it. But it ain't the end of the world if it ain't here, alright. There's a good chance those wolves weren't rabid." He could see Beth in his mind, could hear that calm, careful voice she used sometimes and he couldn't help trying to imitate it. "I've seen rabid animals before, an' they didn't run, when y' hurt 'em. They just kept going, kept fightin' like they couldn't stop themselves. All wild and angry. These ones ran, y' know? They were smart."

Maggie was looking right at him, dragging in deep, slow breaths. "But Beth said we needed it…"

"Your sister was being cautious. But it don't mean it's the end of the world, if we can't find it, alright?" He waited until Maggie drew in a deep breath and then exhaled, "Alright. Now let's try and look again."

...

The room was silent, except for Glenn's occasional soft pained noises whenever he'd move the wrong way and jolt his arm. Occasionally Beth's worried gaze would stray to him but mostly, she kept her eyes on the window and the figure standing still in front of it.

Which was how she noticed the moment Michonne moved, the moment she started to lean forward and peer out the window with a faint furrow to her brow.

"What is it?" Beth started to sit up and then stopped herself. "Is it them? Are they coming back?"

Michonne shook her head, but held her finger to her lips. Beth had no idea why until she leaned down and began to carefully open the window just an inch or so, her long dreadlocks swaying with her movements.

And then she heard it. Growls, but not the kind walkers made. The kind interspersed with sharp barks and howls. _Wolves_.

Across the room, Glenn blanched and went pale as his wide-eyes darted to the window. "Thought we scared them off."

"Don't know," Michonne murmured, her voice low but calm, for the moment anyway, "Can't see them, it sounds like they're on the edges of town, still." She paused to listen to the howls, and added, "Maybe they brought reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" Worry had crept into Beth's voice and she sat up a little bit more, dragging her bow higher into her lap.

"What, they've come back for revenge?" Glenn's joking voice was weak, and he looked like he knew it.

But it was Beth who answered softly, "No. Well not exactly. What if this is part of their territory, now? They'd want to defend it, right?"

"And they're hungry," Michonne remarked, as all of them thought back to Daryl's explanation of food sources being lower these days thanks to the walkers. "They're hungry, and we're, well… dinner."

"Not us!" Glenn's voice cracked a bit and he clutched his arm before an apparent jolt of pain made him settle again though worry was still etched across his face. "We're safe up here."

"Right." Michonne glanced slowly at Beth, who could read the worry in her eyes before she even finished, "But Maggie and Daryl are out there, and they've gotta come back down that street to get here."

...

It had taken him longer than it should have to get Maggie out of that pharmacy and even now she was lagging behind him, looking back over her shoulder. His patience was wearing thin, and Daryl had just turned to growl over his shoulder for her to hurry up when he heard it. Yips and howls coming from all around them, interspersed by low rough growls far more intimidating than his own.

He didn't have time to pause let alone to dart into an alley or a building and hide. Before he could the wolves were slinking out around him from alleys and the sides of buildings, just like they had earlier… except now there were a lot more of them. Seven by his count; including the one Michonne had cut with her blade, it's wound matted now with blood.

Maggie instinctively moved close to him, turning so her back was to his as she drew her gun and raised it. Behind her, Daryl lifted his loaded crossbow just as one of the wolves darted in with a growl and a snap of it's jaws. It was close but not quite close enough to get him and he knew why. They were playing with them, like cats played with a cornered mouse. Like any predators might toy with their trapped prey. Seven wolves to two humans; they had them surrounded. The wolves were confident, as confident as he'd have been if his family had come upon two shambling walkers.

Of course, he and Maggie weren't the walking dead. They weren't so easy to kill.

He hoped, anyway. Because there were a lot of ways he'd imagined his life might end, but it definitely hadn't been as wolf dinner.

...

"Shit." Michonne's fingers curled tightly around her sword as the other pressed to the window frame. Her nails dug into the wood for a moment as she hissed, "It's too late to warn them. The wolves have them surrounded. Seven, it looks like. Including the one I got… must not have cut him deep enough."

"We can't let them just fight it out on their own!" There was urgency in Beth's voice as she brought herself up fully into a sitting position, going slow because she felt just the tiniest bit light headed and the injury on her temple was throbbing faintly. "We need a distraction or a way to help them."

"Well I can't exactly do much with this from up here," Michonne replied as she fingered the handle of her blade again. "Using guns might just call walkers to us, make it even worse."

"I know." Beth's gaze held Michonne's as she pointedly lifted her crossbow up and into her lap.

Michonne took one look at it and shook her head. "No. Dixon'll kill me, if he finds out I let you off that couch. You shouldn't be sitting up as it is."

Her heart gave a clenching ache but she forced herself to bite out the words, "He won't be able to kill you if those wolves kill him first, Michonne." Her eyes fixed on the other woman's, boring into them, pleading with her silently not to make her beg out loud. Though she would, for him. She'd do just about anything for Daryl. She'd do just about anything to banish the image in her mind right now of him being torn into by a pack of wild, hungry wolves.

For a second she thought Michonne was going to protest again. But instead, the woman came towards her, reaching down to help her to her feet. "Fine," she said lowly, "But I'm helping. And I'm using you as a shield when Dixon comes back, if he gets mad. Got it?"

Despite her worry, Beth smiled and even managed a soft chuckle. "Deal."

Besides it wasn't like she was entirely weak. Sure there was an aching throb in her head and she was the tiniest bit light-headed, but she still wasn't slurring her speech and she didn't feel queasy and those were both good signs. It didn't take much for Michonne to get her standing by the window, and as the other woman opened it further for her Beth got a bolt into her bow and slowly cranked it back.

Through the window she could see him and Maggie back to back in the middle of the street. Daryl had his crossbow raised just like her own and he was sighting down it as the wolves growled and circled and darted at them before slinking back. Her stomach lurched and her chest tightened, but she didn't give into it. In fact, as she settled the weight of her bow into her arms she felt a calmness steal over her the way she always did in moments like this. In the back of her mind she could almost hear Daryl's voice whispering for her to breathe in and out, to focus, to _feel_ the shots._Keep steady, girl. Pick your shots nice and careful, y'hear?_

"What's the plan?" Michonne murmured, her voice low and right in Beth's ear as they peered out the window to the pack of wolves stalking and toying with the two figures below.

"Scare them off, hopefully," Beth murmured as she drew in a deep breath and raised her bow to sight it through the window to the wolves below. "Or at least give Daryl and Maggie the help they need."

...

It felt as if they were at a standstill, only an incredible tense one. They were teetering on the edge and a single move from either side would send them tumbling over. One serious lunge from the pack leader and all of the wolves would attack, leaving him and Maggie to fend them off- if they could. The same went for either of them; Daryl knew if he or Maggie took a shot they might take out one or even two of the wolves but the rest would be on them in an instant all snapping teeth and sharp claws.

So it was a stand-off. Either they made the first move or the wolves did and either way it would bring the beasts down in them in a rush of fur and teeth. In Daryl's mind, he'd rather make the first move; at least he'd probably be guaranteed to take a few of them out in the process.

His hand reached back, planning to signal Maggie to take her shot when he did, but before he could everything shifted. With his senses on alert Daryl heard the whizz of a bolt slicing through the air and the thunk of it slamming into flesh and with a yelp and a whine one of the wolves fell over, a crossbow bolt protruding from it's chest. If money had mattered anymore, he'd have met good hard cash that the bolt had gone right through it's heart in a clean shot.

_Beth_. He knew that like he knew breathing, but he only had a second to look up and see her framed in the window, her pale hair like a beacon trying to guide him home as she sighted down her crossbow and fired again. Creating a distraction. Giving him a _chance_.

Because that was exactly what she was giving him. The attack coming from behind and above had the wolves snarling in confusion and spinning around to try and face the new foe; giving Maggie and Daryl the opening they needed. "_Go_!" He growled to his companion, seconds before firing off his own bolt and sending it clean through the heart of the wolf off to his right.

A gunshot rang out behind him and then Maggie was at his side and together they darted through the gap in the circle of snarling fur. He didn't have time to draw another bolt so he slung his crossbow over his back as he ran, pulling his own handgun from his belt. He knew the gunshots were a risk, but there wasn't much else they could do. If it called walkers to them, hopefully it wouldn't be until they'd gotten to shelter just up ahead.

The wolves were refocusing behind them, he could hear the growls and snaps of teeth just at his feet but his gaze was fixed ahead on Beth up in that window, grimacing as she cranked back her bow again to notch another bolt. She looked up, but her eyes shifted past him and widened as she cried out, "Maggie!"

...

The gunshot was still echoing through the buildings around them as Beth cranked her crossbow, desperately trying to notch another bolt in it. Her fingers trembled and fumbled with the bow before she drew in a deep breath and calmed herself, mentally shoving back the tension that tightened her lungs. In one mostly-smooth motion she lifted the bow again, sighted down it… and then gasped.

"Maggie!"

Her sister had stumbled and a wolf was right on her heels, leaping like Beth could only assume one had leapt at her in the first earlier attack. But as she watched Daryl whirled in one smooth motion, lifting his gun and taking one breathless second to steady before taking the shot. The wolf went down in a blur of fur and a yelp of pain, but Beth only had one second of relief before everything went to hell all over again.

From the left came another flash of red fur as a wolf launched itself out from the side of the building, flying at Daryl and knocking him to the ground as Beth bit back a scream of panic and fear.

...

One minute his hands were vibrating from the recoil of his pistol and the next something heavy was slamming into him side and sending him tumbling to the ground. His reaction was entirely instinctive as he twisted instantly, putting his back to the ground and shoving his hands up right against the thick fur of the snarling beast above him. It's muzzle was inches from his face, teeth bared and hot breath ghosting over his skin as he grunted and struggled to hold it at bay. His gun had been knocked from his hands to go skittering across the pavement and his knife was still sheathed at his waist. He couldn't reach it without moving a hand and risking the wolf having enough strength to use it's teeth to rip him open.

His head turned to the left in what felt like slow motion and for one moment he saw her just beyond his outstretched arm. That beacon in the window, holding her crossbow as their eyes met.

It was only a second, but in it Daryl felt every single thing he'd ever felt for her swelling up inside of inside of him, fit to burst out of his heart and he wanted to gasp out the words _I love you_ (one last time) even though he knew she wouldn't be able to hear from here.

And then suddenly a weight slammed into the creature above him and as it went limp on top of him. As he shoved it roughly off and scrambled from beneath the weight he saw a knife protruding from it's back, and then Maggie reached down and yanked it free.

"You've got my back, I've got yours. Even?" She held out her hand to him and he only hesitated a second before grabbing it, hand gripping hers tightly as he let her help him pull her to his feet with a firm nod.

Then he was bending over to scoop up the gun he'd almost lost and this time drawing his knife from his sheath as well. Another bolt went whizzing past him from above and he only dimly registered another wolf going down behind him. His gaze went up to find that beacon once more, to let those blue eyes draw him back to safety, knowing the relief in them was matched in his own.

Daryl forced himself to tear his gaze away from Beth as they ran down the street, full-out pounding their feet against the pavement as they raced to the door with the last wolf at their backs. A few more steps and he was there, pulling the door open and shoving Maggie inside before he slipped in after her.

He only had a moment to peer through the gap in the door as he pulled it closed. A moment to see the last of the wolves running towards them with it's teeth bared in a snarl… and a moment to hear, in the distance, the first groans and moans of the dead summoned from whatever long-gone memories they had been haunting in their former homes to follow the sounds of gunfire instead.

"_Shit._ Maggie we need to block this door, _now_!"

...

For a moment she had thought her heart was going to leap right out of her chest and out the window to shatter against the pavement at the sight of Daryl pinned beneath that wolf and fighting to hold it off. And then Maggie; thank the lord for Maggie right there, saving his life by slamming her blade down into it's back. She was so damn grateful for her sister in that moment, even though she knew it wasn't over, not until the two of them darted inside and she heard the sound of the door closing beneath her feet.

A tiny part of her wanted to give in to relief and the trembling of her knees, but Beth fought it, fought to stay standing. As she did, dragging in a deep and ragged breath, she looked out the window… and froze. Because the carcasses of the wolves they'd shot were no longer alone on the street. From open doors and side-streets came walkers, shambling into the center of the road. Some of them dropped to their knees by the wolves and began to tear into them and even as a part of her mind whispered _better them than us_, she had to shudder and turn away.

It hurt, more than it should. Those wolves had just been trying to stay alive, trying to survive. Like them. All they were was hungry wild things trying to adapt to a changed world.

It was a low noise from Michonne beside her that had Beth looking down again to see more of the walkers heading towards the front of the building drawn, she assumed, by Daryl and Maggie. Beneath her she could hear the groans and scrapes of moving furniture and she could only hope and pray that they were taking care of it and barricading the door so nothing could get in.

The minutes that followed seemed endless. She turned to face the door still holding her crossbow and beside her, Michonne had half-drawn her sword in anticipation. Just in case, somehow…

But when the empty doorway was suddenly filled, it wasn't by walkers. It was by Maggie, who hesitated only a moment before rushing to Glenn's side and then, behind her, Daryl.

It was at the sight of him that her knees finally gave weak but he didn't give her a chance to fall. He closed the gap between them in two long strides, tugged her crossbow from her hands to set it aside, and then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

He held her so tightly that he lifted her up off the ground until her feet dangled and his arms locked around her so snugly she almost couldn't breathe but the truth was, she didn't care. All that mattered was the heat of his body against hers and the feeling of his heart pounding away in his chest to match the rhythm of her own. _Alive, alive, alive._

"You okay?" Daryl breathed out the words against her temple as his hands spanned her slender back.

"Kinda can't breathe," she whispered against his ear with a smile and a hoarse little laugh. "But you're here so yeah. I'm more than okay." Her eyes were stinging but she didn't cry, not even with relief as she whispered in a choked up voice, "Told you we always find our way back to each other._Always_."

And then his lips were on hers and she didn't care that they weren't alone, didn't care that Michonne and Maggie and Glenn were just a few feet away. All she cared about were his fingers clutching her back and her hands tangled in his hair and his lips easing over hers in a hungry kiss until finally he pulled back and whispered into her mouth, "Love you."

She smiled against him, relief making her go weak in his arms still as she whispered right back. "Love you, too."

When they pulled apart a few moments later, it wasn't far. Daryl kept his arm around her and brought her right back to the couch, sitting her down next to him and keeping one arm behind her back as he lifted his bag into his lap.

"Did you get it?" Beth asked, worry furrowing her brow as she stayed fitted against his side. "Did you get what we need?"

She didn't fail to notice the way his eyes found Maggie's, or the way her sister was on her knees by the couch, clutching Glenn's hands in her own as tightly as Daryl had gripped Beth a moment before.

Daryl reached into his bag and drew out bottle after bottle, murmuring lowly, "Amoxicillin, Vicodin, aspirin, found some Tamiflu, too…" With winter coming, they all knew what that could bring. Flu season, and Beth had no trouble remembering the last time something like flu had affected their group.

But that was the last bottle he set on the counter and when he lowered his bag back into his lap and turned to look at her, Beth felt a cold chill settling low into her belly and she knew.

They hadn't found the rabies vaccine.

****A/N: I'm sorry for the delay in writing this and the fact that I'm worried the quality might not be what you all expect. Unfortunately I've been having a hard time writing this fic lately, since the return of TWD. The direction the show has taken is really getting to me emotionally and though I've decided to stop watching, it is still manifesting when I work on this fic for whatever reason. I may take longer to update it in favor of fics that I'm not currently having trouble with, but I promise I will not abandon it. Thank you all so much for your continual support, I love how much you all love this fic. I hope this chapter isn't a disappointment, quality wise.**


	8. We'll Run Together

****A/N: Sorry again for the delay... and possibly for the quality of this. It's pretty long but is that a good thing? I guess we'll find out! I had a lot of writer's block issues with this so I hope it was worth the wait.**

* * *

><p>All they could do now was wait. Wait to see if the small group of walkers surrounding their hide-out dispersed during the night. Wait to see if they could escape in the morning or if they would need to wait for help from the rest of their group. Wait to see if Glenn's bite would prove to be fatal. In a way it was both familiar and yet not, a step back into the past where it was the bites of animals that people had to fear and not those of the shuffling, groaning dead.<p>

It only seemed right to give Maggie and Glenn privacy, considering what they were going through. With Maggie promising to come find them if anything changed with Glenn, Daryl scooped Beth into his arms and carried her into the kitchen despite her protests.

"I can walk, you know!" But she was smiling faintly as she looked up at him with her arms twined around his neck. "I can shoot a bow, too, I think you'll remember."

"I know." His reply was gruff as he settled into a chair at the kitchen table with a little grunt and adjusted her where she sat sideways across his lap. Neither of them seemed to care that they were being far closer than they normally were in the company of others; though Maggie and Glenn were in the other room and Michonne had gone down into the store again to search for food and other supplies. "You need to take one of these pain pills." He frowned down at the bottle in his hand, and then added, "Maybe half of one."

With a soft chuckle, Beth teased him, "What, you don't think I can handle a whole pill?"

"Tiny thing like you?" He offered her a hint of a smile, even as he teased, "'sides, I've seen you drunk before. Don't need you burnin' this place down."

Despite her teasing protestations about moonshine and pain pills not being the same, Daryl still took immense care. He borrowed her clean knife as he set the pill on the table and used it to delicately snap the pain pill in half before gently brushing it into his palm and offering it to her with a bottle of water. Gentle really was the best way to describe the care he took with the woman in his arms. He couldn't help remembering the way she'd shown like a beacon for him in the window as he'd fought with everything he had to get back to her again and now that he was here, all he wanted was to make sure she was okay.

So after she took the half of a pill he set the water aside and focused on her wound. His work-worn fingers were as gentle as possible as he carefully peeled the bandage from her forehead. Hands that might have once been more accustomed to making fists were now almost delicate as he used water and some cotton balls he had snatched from the pharmacy to clean her wound of the dried blood that remained. His hand shifted to softly brush back a few loose strands of hair from her face, sweeping it back into her ponytail with a soft hum before turning his attention to applying antibiotic cream with careful sweeps of his fingers across the wound.

All the while she stayed curled in his arms and cradled against his chest, looking up at him with a faint smile as he tended to her. "Never would have pegged you for the nursing type before all this," Beth murmured as he began applying the bandage to her forehead.

"Cause I _ain't_ the nursing type," he grunted back, even as he knew that wasn't true. Or maybe it was and like most things in his life these days, Beth was the one exception. When it came to Beth it wasn't really nursing in his mind. It was taking care of the woman he loved, the same way she'd have for him. The way she _had_ for him already before, tenderly caring for his wounds. The difference was that Beth did the same for everyone, even if her care for him was far more affectionate and personal. Daryl knew thanks to Beth that he was capable of far more care and concern than he'd ever realized before, but he still knew he wasn't like her. This wasn't the sort of thing he'd be comfortable doing with anyone else but Beth. It was different with her. _He_ was different, with her.

"Well you make a good medic, anyway," she replied after a moment as she leaned into his chest and settled her cheek against his shoulder. "Better be careful or I'll start asking for you to be my assistant when people get injured."

A chuckle rumbled up from his broad chest to vibrate through both their bodies before he replied, "The only person I nurse is you, got that? You're a special case. Besides," He let his hand brush lightly up her back, and went on, "Everyone knows you're the natural nurse, of the pair of us."

She hummed in response, but didn't say anything else; an instant clue to Daryl that something was bothering her. These days they just knew each other too well; interpreting her silence was as easy to him as it was to her, interpreting his grunts and nods. They had long since become fluent in each other's languages; he knew that silence from Beth in a moment like this was tantamount to a big flashing sign reading: _I'm upset about something_. He could have asked what was wrong, but he didn't need to. He just ran his hand slowly up and down her back, knowing she would talk when and if she wanted to.

"I just wish I could do more for Glenn. I wish there was something other than that medicine, or that we could have found it." Beth's head turned in the direction of the living room and though neither of them could see the couch from here, he didn't doubt they were both remembering the same thing. The sight of Maggie on the floor, leaning to the side with her head on Glenn's stomach as he curled his fingers through her hair and they just looked into each other's eyes and whispered to each other, caught up in the intimate privacy that some couples could create even when they weren't entirely alone.

"You did what you could. We all did." Daryl found her hair, toying with her long ponytail by curling his fingers through it in a way he knew sometimes relaxed her. "Got him cleaned up, found him antibiotics. Can't do much more."

"I know, but-"

"No buts." His fingers found the slope of her jaw and curled underneath it to turn her gaze towards him until her blue eyes met his own. Her skin was so soft beneath the rough pads of his fingers, which brushed gently over her cheek as he murmured, "Don't you go feelin' guilty about this. Ain't none of it your fault, alright? Ain't nobody's fault." He paused and blinked, and a faint unexpected chuckle rumbled low in his chest.

He didn't even need to explain it because Beth knew exactly what was so funny, and she smiled right back at him as she teased, "Hey, aren't you supposed to be the guilty one and me the one convincing you not to feel so bad? You're stealing my lines, Dixon."

"You're stealing my guilt, Greene." They fell into the banter as easily as they always fell into one another, and the familiar patterns and teasing tones had them leaning in until they were inches apart, noses grazing as they breathed together and looked into each other's eyes. And suddenly the mood shifted, suddenly the laughter faded and his heart gave a throbbing ache in memory of the adrenaline-filled brush with death he'd just had a short while ago, and the words came spilling out of him in a rush:

"I thought-"  
>"When you were out there-"<p>

Their amusement at having spoken at the same time brought more laughter and a brush of Beth's lips softly against his own, but the ache in his chest didn't fade. His lips parted again, but before he could put to words what he'd felt out there lying on the street with a fierce wolf pinning him to the ground, he heard the creak of a door and the sound of Michonne clearing her throat.

When he looked up the woman was standing there smirking down at him, her eyes flashing with amusement. "You got somethin' to say?" He growled out the words but lightly and almost playfully for him, and of course Michonne knew that. Quiet as she was, she knew how to read him better than most... though of course not like Beth could. (No one could read him like Beth could. If he was a language the way she'd once said, than she was the only one fluent in it.)

"Hey, I'm not saying anything," Michonne drawled as she moved up to the table and set down the bag full of whatever she must have found downstairs. She flashed them a slow smile and teased, "Just wondering if you two lovebirds got room for me at this table."

Before he could make a gruff reply, Beth was humming into his ear. offering Michonne a soft smile as she murmured, "Of course we have room for you, Michonne. Always." And that was his Beth, really. Open and welcoming, especially to their family. The funny thing was that even just a few months ago he'd have glared until whoever it was left, despite Beth's words. But now it seemed easy to let Michonne join them even though he had Beth curled in his arms rather intimately.

Maybe what Maggie had said about Beth rubbing off on him was even more true than he'd realized.

* * *

><p>Despite the day they'd gone through there were still things to be somewhat grateful for. They'd been attacked by wolves and surrounded by walkers, but it could've been worse. It could always have been worse but Daryl tried not to think about that right now, just like he tried not to think about how easily it could <em>become<em> worse if things went badly with Glenn.

It was easier to think of the positive things when he had Beth in his lap, under the effects of a pain pill that had clearly started to work. Even just giving her half of one had affected her and he wasn't surprised; she was tiny like he'd said, and they were all undernourished these days. Despite his attempts to feed her, she spent most of 'dinner' chattering away. He'd been amused to discover that not only had the half pill of Vicodin eased the ache in Beth's head, it had also made her the tiniest bit loopy and prone to giggling and rambling.

Keeping her fed was his solution to stop her from getting _too_ affected; after all, the logical part of him knew he needed her focused if things went bad. Of course that was easier said than done when she just kept going like one of those energizer rabbit things he'd seen on TV years ago. He had to admit he didn't really _mind_ the way she cuddled against him though, just like he didn't really mind the soft rise and fall of her voice as she started to ramble on about imagining that the can of beans they'd found downstairs was really stew instead like the stew her Mama used to make back on the farm.

Michonne watched in amusement from across the table as Beth went on, telling some story about the dog they'd had once and how her Mama had tried to feed it medicine by hiding the pills in a bowl of beef stew, only to come back to find that the dog had lapped up every last drop and left the two pills sitting right in the bottom of the bowl.

When Beth finally trailed off and he managed to get a few bites into her, he nodded his head towards the door and said to Michonne, "Should make sure they eat, too."

Without hesitating, Michonne set her can down and rose to her feet. "Don't worry, I've got it. You have your hands full with that one right now, anyway, don't you?"

He would have argued except Beth was giggling to herself and nuzzling into the crook of his neck and yeah, his hands kinda were a bit full. Not that he minded at all; there was even a smile on his lips as he looked down at her and tried to get her attention. "Hey, Greene."

"Heyyy…" Beth hummed as she focused on him and reached up to brush his hair back away from his eyes. "Mm, you have such nice eyes. Have I ever told you what nice eyes you have? Cause you do. You know what else?" She sighed. "I'm glad you're here. I missed you, you know. And I was real worried. Michonne was mad cause I wouldn't sit still and then she almost didn't want to let me up because she said you'd yell at her for it."

"Maybe I should have," Daryl remarked lowly as he reached down to brush her hair out of her face in return. His fingers lingered on her cheek, the worn pads grazing her soft skin as he looked into her eyes.

"Nooo, it was all me, not her." She smiled again all loosely. "Besides _you_ didn't seem mad when you had me in your arms."

He just chuckled. "I ain't never mad when I've got you in my arms."

"I know." Beth went quiet finally, and there was a softness in her eyes as she looked up at him. He took advantage of her silence to feed her another couple bites of beans, only stopping when she nudged his hand away. When he lowered the spoon away, her hand came up to cover his other hand where it still rested across her cheek and she held it there as she murmured, "I'm glad you came back to me. I was scared. I didn't panic- I thought I was going to, but I kept it under control. I was afraid though, Daryl, I was. I know I shouldn't be, I know you always come back to me but I was still so worried." Her brow furrowed in concentration, as if she were struggling to find the right words. "I know… I know we're all gonna go some day, and it might be sooner than we want to but… but I'm not ready, yet. I want more time with you. Okay?"

He knew she was out of it from the stress of the day and her wound and the medication, but her words still tugged at his heart. Even like this she could reach inside of him and find his sore spots, the ones he tried to hide away under shadows where the light of day (and reality) couldn't find them. But Beth always did, and she always managed to hook her words in like fingers and gently tug them up until he couldn't avoid acknowledging them, couldn't help but expose them to _her_ light.

Daryl leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. "Okay," he said simply, even as his heart gave a little ache at the thought of losing her. "It ain't time yet, you hear? We've got a lot more left together." To himself he thought: _We have to. We're meant to._ He had never believed in anything like fate or hope or 'meant-to's' before Beth, would never have even thought to say something like what he just had before her. But a part of him believed it now, a part of him all wrapped up in her goodness and her light, and he was damned if he was gonna let this shit world take that away from them too soon.

Tonight he would keep her close and safe and tomorrow they would find a way out of here with Michonne and Maggie _and_ Glenn, and then after that… after that they would keep moving, keep searching for a place to make theirs. A place to have all the time that he and Beth wanted (and deserved) to have together. He would do everything he could to make that so, and looking down now to see Beth dozing in his arms half-asleep from the medicine and the food… well it only made him even more determined to ensure that.

* * *

><p>Sometime in the middle of the night he woke up and missed Beth's warmth beside him. They had encroached on Maggie and Glenn's space after a few hours to take back over the other couch so that they could get some rest. Michonne was on watch and scheduled to wake him for his turn, but it wasn't her that drew him awake, not yet.<p>

At first he thought it was the lack of Beth's warmth against his side where she'd been curled up asleep, but as he slowly awoke and his hearing sharpened, murmured conversation reached his ears instead. Slowly so as not to disturb them, Daryl turned his head until he spotted Maggie and Beth sitting side-by-side on the floor with their backs to Glenn's couch. Maggie had her head resting on Beth's shoulder, and it was the closest he thought he'd seen them in a long time. The last thing he wanted was to break up that moment, fragile as their relationship had been up until very recently.

So his eyes fluttered shut to give them privacy, but he couldn't help overhearing some of their murmured words.

"I don't know what I'd do, Beth, if he-"

"Don't." Beth's voice was low but firm. "Don't think like that, Mags. I told you, Daryl told you, there's a good chance that those wolves weren't rabid, okay? And Glenn… Glenn is gonna be okay. He loves you, Maggie. He won't leave you. I bet he'd fight off the rabies by force just to stay with you, if he could."

"Sounds like something Daryl would do," Maggie remarked in a wry tone that made him imagine what he was sure was a sad smile on her lips.

"Him too. Both of them. They're strong, Mags, they are. Both of us fell for very strong, tough men." He heard Beth shift a little and cracked his eyes to see her pressing a kiss to Maggie's head right onto her dark curls. "And they love us," Beth whispered. "That's a powerful draw, loving a Greene woman. That'd keep anyone fighting to stay alive."

Daryl couldn't help but agree with that. Hadn't he fought day after day to get Beth back, and then to keep her at his side? Wouldn't he do it again and again if he had to?

"Yeah." Maggie's voice sounded a little stronger, a little firmer, and through his slitted eyes he saw her nod her head before she wiped at her eyes and gave a wet little laugh. "I guess that's true. And Glenn is a fighter, he really is underneath all those jokes of his. I'm sure he'll- I know he'll-"

"He'll _be okay_," Beth breathed out her reassurances as she pressed another kiss to Maggie's head. "He will be, Mags, you'll see. Tomorrow, you'll see. Just get some sleep, okay? And when you wake up in the morning you'll see that he's alright. Go on…"

It was another half hour later before he heard movement again and looked up to see Beth gently guiding her sleeping sister's head onto the couch where Glenn, half asleep himself, instinctively reached out to comb his fingers through her hair. Silently Beth shifted onto her knees to crawl across the floor and back to the couch where Daryl had been laying stretched out on his back this whole time.

She seemed to know instinctively that he was awake, sitting with her back to the couch and tipping her head against his hand. Without hesitating he brought it up to run his fingers across her cheek and into her loose tresses just like Glenn had with Maggie; twinning the curls around his fingers as she tilted her head against his hand like an affectionate cat.

"You were right, you know." He breathed out the words in a low murmur, his eyes finding hers in the darkness as she turned her face up to look at him. With his fingers running across the soft curve of her cheek, he admitted roughly, "'bout loving a Greene woman. S'powerful draw."

Normally he might not have said something like that at all; he certainly never would have even thought to before. But in the darkness with her warm and close and with the weight of Maggie's worry for Glenn resonating so deeply especially after their conversation in the kitchen earlier, it just seemed like something he needed to say.

He knew that it was the right thing to say when Beth looked up at him and murmured back, "Just so you know? So is loving a Dixon." Her upturned face caught the moonlight shining through the window, gilding her skin as her lips curved up in a smile. She reached for him, combing back his hair to look into his eyes as she murmured, "It's a mighty draw, loving you. I'll never stop fighting for that, you know."

His fingers untangled from her hair to cup the side of her face, keeping her head turned up into the moonlight as he leaned in to rest his forehead to hers. This close he could see the glow of the moon on her skin, could feel it on his own too, as if it were that inner glow that Beth always had, spreading to him and warming him to his core as he murmured back, "I know."

Because he'd never stop fighting for her- for _them_- either.

* * *

><p>Daryl leaned against the wall beside the window, peering down through the smudged glass. The rising morning sunshine was a welcome warmth on his face that felt like a stark contrast to blood-stained street beneath him, full as it was with milling walkers; their faces upturned and their jaws snapping as if they could somehow sense him above them.<p>

Maybe they could. Hell, even after two years they still weren't entirely sure what these damn things could and couldn't sense.

All he knew was that when he'd woken to the rising sun that morning they had been there and their numbers had only been added to, albeit incrementally, throughout the day. It wasn't hard to figure out what might be drawing them. The first had been drawn to the sounds of their fighting last night but it was the carcasses of the dead wolves laying on the street that had kept them there. The walkers had feasted overnight, leaving little behind but fur and guts and blood. It didn't churn his stomach- not much did these days- but it worried him for other reasons. The blood and guts on the street would only draw more walkers, and the more of them that came the bigger threat there was to the safety of him and the others trapped above the shop. And Beth. Always Beth.

He turned to look at her now where she was curled up on the couch, her crossbow in her lap. She was cleaning it with a spare rag they'd found and for a moment the tension eased from his face as he just watched her. The sunlight streamed through the window to catch on her hair, making it shine around her head again and reminding him of the beacon she had been to him in the window yesterday; the beacon she always was to him.

Sensing his gaze on him she looked up to meet his gaze. Though there was a smile on her lips there was also a distance in her eyes, but he knew that wasn't personal. She was focused, lost in thought, using the routine of cleaning her weapon to allow her mind to churn and work over their problem so she could come up with solution.

He would have put his faith in her doing so, even though they'd spent most of the dawn as a group doing much the same and discarding every idea they came up with. The most straightforward way was to just go for the front door, but they all knew where that lead and none of them wanted to risk trying to fight their way out. Just the thought of pushing open that door to face the small herd of walkers made Daryl inwardly shudder.

(Every time he tried to imagine it he saw another night instead, saw himself like an idiot opening the front door of the darkened funeral home to allow the walkers inside. Saw himself calling out to her to run, to save herself, heard her shouting back: _I'm not gonna leave you_! But she had. Not by choice, but she had, and there was no way he was gonna risk that happening again.)

They couldn't go out the back either, though Glenn had suggested it. The entire area was closed in by other buildings with only a driveway leading down the side of the building; unfortunately right down to the front and the small swarm of walkers. There were no other exits that they could think of and Daryl was starting to think they _were_ going to have to fight their way out the front of the building or risk being stuck here and hope that the others came back to get them. His stomach churned again at the thought of pushing open that front door to reveal rotted faces and hands reaching, reaching for them (_Beth! Beth! Run! Run!_), reaching for _her_...

"Think I might have something." The sound of Michonne's voice from behind him had the memories fading from his mind... or at least retreating, hiding in the shadows like wolves in the dark waiting to rear out and snap their jaws when the time was right. But for now he focused only on Michonne standing in the doorway with a look of determined confidence on her face, her words tossed out at him like a life-preserver in a churning sea, "There's a window in the bedroom that leads up to a fire escape over the driveway. Can't go down of course, but we can climb up. Cross the roofs, get a safe distance away and maybe make an escape."

As she explained the plan his mind was already racing ahead to picture every step they'd need to take, every possible way it could go wrong. The biggest of which was…

"But what about Glenn?" Beth asked softly from the couch, beating him to the punch. All three of them turned at the same time to look at Glenn where he was stretched out on the couch cradling his injured arm to his chest. He'd spent the whole night there resting in between Beth changing his bandages; which she'd unfortunately had to do quite a few times already. He kept bleeding through them, and Daryl knew that was making Beth nervous. Each time she tried harder to pack to wound with gauze and stem the bleeding as best she could, though she was still not feeling 100% herself.

"Hey," Glenn replied, giving them a weak smile. "I'm not useless, you know."

"Glenn…" Maggie leaned over him from where she was sitting by his feet, gently resting her hand on his side. "If you don't feel up to it that's okay, we can figure out something else…"

Except Daryl didn't think they couldn't, frankly, but for once he bit his tongue without even seeing the warning look Beth was giving him (or the smile that briefly crossed her face after when he held himself back all on his own). Instead he gestured to the couch and asked gruffly, "How about we see if y' can get to your feet first, alright? One thing at a time. Then we'll make for that window an' give it a try."

It was a good plan. Or it could have been, anyway. Unfortunately he could see the problem from the start when it took both Michonne and Maggie just to get Glenn onto his feet and they then had to carry him slung between them just to get him to the bedroom door. In his gut Daryl knew it wasn't gonna work, but he couldn't bring himself to tell them to give up, not when he had his own arm slung around Beth's back and her leaning against him as they walked, too. At least she could walk without swaying; he was pretty sure she at least could get out the window and up to the roof. He wasn't nearly as sure that Glenn could.

But there was some tiny part of him that still had hope. Maybe they could figure it out somehow, maybe they could still get him out the window and to the fire escape, maybe somehow they could drag him up to the roof and over to the next building and…

And then the moment Michonne moved to open the window Glenn swayed and almost fell to his knees. The only thing that stopped him from hitting the ground was Michonne's quick movement as she spun around to help Maggie catch him, both of them letting out grunts as they strained to lift him back up between them,

"We've got to sit him down." Maggie's voice was thick with worry as her gaze strayed to the bed, where a thin sheet did little to hide the shapes of the two bodies beneath it and almost nothing to hide the buzzing of flies trapped under the thin fabric. "Not here. Just not here. Michonne, can you help?"

Together they turned him around and for a few moments Glenn seemed to have regained some of his strength, but it didn't last. He almost fell again in the kitchen on the way back, his weak legs splaying out underneath him as Michonne and Maggie strained their muscles to heave him back up between them and struggled to practically drag him to the couch. The moment they laid him down Beth was slipping from Daryl's side to go to him.

Worry was etched in the furrow of her brow as she crouched down next to his couch but it was nothing compared to the fear he saw on Maggie's face as she hovered over her husband, frantic hands fluttering like panicked birds as she kept reaching for him only to nervously draw back. Her voice was tight as she pleaded,"Is he okay? Beth, please- Is it- Is this it? Is it rabies, does he have it?"

Apparently ignoring her sister's frantic questions for the moment, Beth raised the back of her hand to Glenn's forehead, checking his temperature as she looked down at him. "How do you feel, Glenn?"

He groaned, blinking his eyes as he looked up at her. "Dunno… kinda light-headed I think. Dizzy. My legs felt really weak."

Beth's fingers smoothed over her brother-in-law's forehead, brushing back his sweat dampened hair as she slowly nodded. Her touch across his temples was as soft and careful as her voice was when she asked, "Do you have a headache?" He shook his head slowly. "Okay. And how does your arm feel?"

"Like I got bitten by a wolf," Glenn rasped out with a low chuckle that had even Maggie managing a faint, if tight, smile.

"Well I'd imagine," Beth teased as her hands moved to his bandaged arm, checking to see if he was bleeding through again. "So it hurts, then?"

"Like a… like hell. Think those... pain pills are wearing off…"

"We'll get you another one, okay? Do you feel anything else? Itching maybe, or anything prickly feeling?"

Glenn's eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he drew in a deep and shuddering breath before finally shaking his head again. As his tongue swiped across his dry lips he opened his eyes and looked up at Beth to ask, "So what's the verdict, Doc?"

Beth focused her smile on him for just a moment before she looked up at Daryl. "Well I still don't think it's rabies." Her gaze shifted to her sister as she added in a warmer, reassuring voice, "It seems like it's just blood loss, Maggie. Maybe even a bit of shock still from the wound. It's making him light-headed and dizzy, which fits both those things. He needs another pain pill and some more antibiotics, and some water if we can sit him up a bit to drink it. He'll get better eventually, but..."

She trailed off hesitantly but Daryl knew what she was gonna say before her eyes even met his. With a sigh, he finished for her, "But he ain't gonna be up to making it out a window and across a roof any time soon."

"No. Not without us somehow carrying him the entire way and I just don't think we can manage it." Guilt darkened Beth's expression and Daryl automatically closed the gap between them, reaching out to settle his hand on her shoulder and give it a slow squeeze even as she turned to Maggie again and breathed out, "I'm sorry, Maggie. There's just no way, not without more help."

He might not have known Maggie's face the way he had long since mapped out Beth's, but even without that deep knowledge he could read the emotions flashing across her face. He could see as panic shifted to guilt and then to anger, could see as it finally settled into determination in the end. There was a set to her jaw and a furrow to her brow that he knew all too well; they might have only been half-sisters but when it came down to it they'd definitely both inherited the same stubborn determination.

"Then I'll go get help." Maggie issued the words lowly and firmly, a statement rather than a question.

"Maggie-" Beth rose to her feet quickly only to sway lightly in place. The sight of her knees going weak had Daryl instantly stepping up behind her. His muscled arms slipped around her waist and he drew her back to her chest, his sturdy frame keeping her upright as he looked down at her with worry. "I'm alright," she breathed back as she tipped her head to look up at him. "Just a bit light-headed myself, I promise. But Maggie-"

"No arguing." Maggie was already standing up straight and adjusting the belt around her waist. "I'm going, and that's it. I'll go out the window, head back and find the group. I'll bring them back here, and they can help us clear out the walkers below so we can get Glenn out."

When Michonne opened her mouth, Maggie cut her off before any of them could find out if she intended to protest or offer to go instead. Maybe it was both, but it didn't matter. "No," Maggie said again, pulling out her gun to check that it was loaded before sliding it back into the holster. "I want to go. I need to, okay? I _need_ to do this, and you need to stay here."

Hearing Beth's intake of breath, Maggie turned to her and added firmly, "You _do_. You're injured too, Beth. You and Glenn have to stay here and Michonne and Daryl should stay to help protect this place, just in case. Besides, it'll be quicker if it's just me. I can be quiet and slip past the walkers if I need to. The more of us there are, the more attention we might draw."

She leaned down towards Glenn, smoothing the hair from his forehead again before pressing a kiss to his warm skin. "I'll be back for you, okay? I promise." But when she looked up her eyes met Beth's, and her voice was thicker as she went on, "I'll be back for _both_ of you. For all of you."

Her words were thick not just with emotion but with the echo of the past flashing between them. Daryl knew exactly what both of them were remembering; the very betrayal that had caused the rift that was still not fully healed, though they had spent so much time recently easing it shut. Maggie might have been fighting to save Glenn again, but this time she was fighting for her sister too and she wanted to be sure Beth knew it.

And Beth did. Daryl knew she did the moment he felt Beth lean back against him, and he responded instantly and instinctively. His arms tightened around her and he splayed one hand against her stomach, a silent reminder that he was right there; that he understood what she was thinking as she gave her sister a slow nod and a faint smile.

He held her as Michonne lead Maggie back to the window, the two of them murmuring plans for what to do when she brought the group back. He held her until Maggie left through the window and they heard her footsteps on the roof above them. Even as those footsteps faded he still held her, turning her in his arms until he could reach up and gently brush her hair from her face to tuck it behind her ear. "It'll be alright. She'll come back and she'll bring the rest of 'em with her. Ain't nothin' could stop her from coming back to y'all." At the tilt of Beth's head against his hand, Daryl offered her a faint little smile and added lowly, "That's another thing about you Greene women. Stubborn and determined as hell."

From behind them Glenn gave a snort of amusement. "Now _that's_ the truth."

Didn't they _both_ know it.

* * *

><p>They were reduced once more to waiting, though they didn't pass the time idly. While he urged Beth into sitting down and gave her some water to drink, Michonne got the antibiotics and pain pills to give Glenn his next dose. According to Beth it was the pain pills that had Glenn drifting in and out of consciousness after that, though Daryl could see the worry in her eyes as she studied him, her eyes always returning back to her brother-in-law even as she tried to get some rest herself.<p>

With Glenn sometimes napping and sometimes joining in, they spent a good hour going over plans for what to do when the others arrived and running over every contingency; not only so they'd be prepared, but also because it kept all their minds busy and stopped them from focusing on what they'd do if Maggie _didn't_ come back. No one wanted to think about that, even though in the back of their minds they all knew it was something they might have to plan for.

Despite his focus on planning ahead Daryl could still feel the worry clawing at his belly. Every once in awhile he would blink and instead of seeing Beth sitting on the couch or the view down into the street he'd see that night again. His mind would be filled with images of the walkers pressing at the door he was failing to hold shut as he shouted for Beth to grab her stuff and run, run, run Beth!

Each time he'd grunt and blink the memories away and look down at the walkers standing below them in the street, his brow furrowed as if by glaring enough he could ward off the past and stop it from happening all over again.

"Hey…" At the soft sound of her voice Daryl turned to look down at Beth, who curled her fingers around his bicep. Of course the furrow in his brow smoothed out the moment she gave him that warm, reassuring look.

"Should be sitting down," he said gruffly as he nodded back to the couch, even though he wasn't really complaining about the warm touch of her fingers around his arm.

"I'm gonna have to stand up when they get here, I should get some practice." A hesitant smile curved across her lips as she gently squeezed his arm. "Besides, someone has to stop you from glaring a hole in that window."

"I wasn't…" He trailed off at the look she gave him and just sighed instead, because there was never any point in lying to Beth. Truth was he didn't even want to; he never did. Not with her. "Just… keep remembering, that's all. Keep thinking about those walkers down there pushing through the door while we're tryin' to fight our way out and it makes me remember…" He swallowed and gave a shrug of his shoulders, as if he could belie the moment to the woman who knew him better than anyone. "That night. Tellin' you to run."

There was never any doubt for him as to how well Beth knew him. It wasn't a thing he'd forget even without the way she reminded him each time she read him like a book, each time she knew exactly what to say or do. Like she reminded him right now with the way she leaned forward to rest her chin on his arm and looked up at him as her fingers brushed down to twine with his own. "So don't tell me to run, this time." She tipped her head forward and he felt the brush of her lips through the sleeve of his shirt before she looked up at him and added, "I'm not gonna leave you. Not anymore, remember? If we have to run then we'll run together."

Words failed him but that was nothing new, and it didn't much matter. Part of her knowing him inside and out was that he didn't need to say anything in reply for her to know he was grateful or that he understood. He just turned towards her and let his hand come up, fingers curling into her hair as he cupped the side of her face and leaned down to rest his forehead against hers in silent agreement. In silent _promise_.

Their quiet moment was broken seconds later when Michonne suddenly stood up straight at the window and dropped her hand right for the hilt of her katana. "Cavalry is here. Time to move."

Beth's hand found his and squeezed once more as she looked up into his eyes and gave a slow nod. They didn't need to speak. The words arched through the air between them and echoed in both their hearts as their fingers gripped and squeezed and released.

_If we need to run, then we'll run together._

* * *

><p>Like Michonne had said, the cavalry came from down the street, though perhaps not quite so literal as that. There was no pounding of hoofbeats on the pavement of course, but the stride of determined footsteps instead. From the window he could see them in the distance; Rick, Tyreese, Sasha, Carol, Rosita, and of course Maggie. At the end of the street they paused, but if he wondered why it was only for the moment it took before the crowd of walkers beneath the store began to shift in response. The sight and sounds of the new arrivals drew their attention, pulling more than half of them from the front of the shop to shuffle down the street after the new group. A distraction, luring enough of them aware to give those of them trapped in the shop a possibility to fight their way out against better odds.<p>

"This is our chance," Michonne murmured as she lifted her katana. "You and me first, Dixon. Beth, think you can cover us from up here?"

It was the plan they'd discussed while they'd waited, but he saw the way Beth's eyes flickered to his for just one unsure moment before she gave a nod. "I know the plan. I've got you."

Beth was already shouldering her crossbow as Michonne headed for the door and Daryl knew they had to move now but that didn't stop him from borrowing a few seconds of time to lean down and looking into Beth's eyes. "Trustin' you to cover me, Greene. An' we ain't getting separated. If either of us are running, it's right back to the other. Y'hear me?"

"Always." She flashed him a grin despite the worry in her eyes and teased, "Now go! The faster you can clear out those walkers, the better." But even as he started to turn her hand snaked out to grip his arm, fingers curling around his bicep as she exclaimed, "Wait!"

The unspoken question in his eyes was answered the moment she leaned up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips and murmured softly against his mouth. "Together. Don't forget."

Daryl let his hand cup the back of her hair to press one more kiss to her forehead with a soft and murmured, "Deal." Ignoring the groaned 'gross' from Glenn behind him, he looked into her eyes and added quietly, "And don't you forget to breathe, okay? In and out, nice and slow." She'd been so good all day and yesterday too, not letting the panic get the best of her the way it sometimes could. He was so damn proud of her for conquering her anxiety day by day and it showed in his faint smile as he squeezed her arm and dropped his hand away.

He didn't mind Glenn's playful eye-rolling responses, though for good measure he did give him the middle finger as he strode past him to follow Michonne. The playful gesture _almost_ made him forget the gnawing worry in the pit of his belly as he left Beth standing at the window behind him.

Almost, anyway.

Lately he wondered if that worry would ever go away. Maybe it wouldn't. Maybe it wasn't meant to go away, all tied up as it was in his love for Beth. Besides, the truth was that in some ways the worry only helped. It added determination to the fire that fueled him as he came up behind Michonne at the front door, his crossbow raised and at the ready.

And when everything sprang suddenly into the action, that lingering worry was the extra added bit of sharp clarity and concentration that he needed to ensure everything went his way.

It was the extra push behind the release of his first bolt, right into the eye of the walker that had appeared when Michonne pulled open the door and darted aside. It was the new edge to his strength when he stepped into the sunny street with his knife clutched into his hand and turned sharply to pin the next walker to the wall and slam the knife right down into it's skull.

Above him came the hiss of an arrow as Beth shot from the open window, firing down and hitting a walker who had turned back towards them at the sound of their fighting. She took it down in one shot and sent it crumbling to the ground, and his surge of pride in her made that adrenaline-fueled fire surge as he kicked out, hitting the backs of the knees of a walker heading towards Michonne and sending it crumpling to the ground where he could slam his blade through it's skull, too.

All around him the fighting raged, but it was focused and concentrated. There was none of the panic of the surprise attacks they'd faced yesterday, none of the desperate frantic rush of trying to figure out what to do, how to escape. _This_ they knew how to handle. Michonne's blade shone as it whirled through the air, decapitating walker after walker. Up the street Rick took out two walkers with his machete as the others worked together to take down the others with their own blades. None of them risked using a gun these days unless they absolutely had to. Not only was it a risk just for the sound alone, but they were more and more aware of how rare ammo was becoming.

The truth was they didn't need guns, not anymore. Not after all the time they'd spent out on the move, fighting to survive. In a way they were like those damn wolves themselves just fighting to survive; but smarter and stronger, especially as a team. The last walker stumbled to the ground with a bolt in it's arm and Daryl moved in for the kill with a quick thrust of his blade, finishing off what Beth had started.

A team, as always. The entire group of them is, the whole family; one big team. But especially him and Beth, at least in Daryl's mind.

He shaded his eyes against the afternoon sun as he peered up at her in the window, hair glowing in the same sun that shone down on him, and knew that the look in her eyes was all for him as she mouthed silently: _Dixon and Greene._

All he could do was smile to himself.

It was a smile that lingered on his lips as Maggie hurried past him into the house with Tyreese on her heels, a smile that only grew a few moments later when they came back down with Beth leading the way and Glenn behind her, slung between Tyreese and Maggie.

His arm slipped around Beth's waist the moment she was close and he drew her against his side, right where she belonged. This time there was no adrenaline filled kiss as he scooped her into his arms; nothing that passionate or public. She arched onto her toes and he leaned down to meet her, and the gentle press of his forehead to hers for a few lingering seconds was all he needed to ease away the last bit of worry from where it had tried and failed to gnaw permanently into him. It was all he needed to keep that smile on his lips, too.

What eventually turned that smile into a low chuckle wasn't Beth for once. Instead it was the sight of Carl appearing at Rick's waved signal to the others where they'd been waiting down the street, Carl running ahead of the others right towards them to fling his arms around Beth in a hug that sent all three of them stumbling. The chuckle rumbled within his chest as Beth giggled and wrapped her arms around Carl to return the hug, but it finally bubbled free from his lips when Carl pulled back almost instantly to scuff his foot on the ground, the picture of an awkward teenager suddenly caught showing affection when he hadn't meant to be. "Just glad you're alright, s'all." Carl shrugged and peered up at her from under the brim of his hat. "Knew you would be. Wasn't worried or anything."

"I know." Beth leaned in to ruffle his hair with a slow smile that had Carl instantly relaxing. Daryl wasn't surprised at the smile that spread across the kid's face; a smile from Beth Greene could probably inspire one in return from a rock, if she set her mind to it.

Carl of course launched into his usual round of questions about the wolves, her injuries, Glenn, and everything else he could possibly wonder about. Through the haze of the boy's seemingly-endless words, which Beth seemed to have no problem answering even as she leaned back into his side, there was something else he didn't fail to notice; another reunion, perhaps less exuberant and awkward than Carl's had been, but in a way even more revealing.

Quiet and calm, Rick and Michonne stood just a foot apart from each other a short distance from him, holding each other's gazes. Daryl watched, unnoticed as they both drew in deep breaths and exhaled with slow, understanding nods. Quiet. Calm. Until Rick closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around Michonne to draw her right to his chest. He almost felt like he was intruding somehow and yet he couldn't seem to help from watching them in that moment. The fierce warrior woman that so frequently filled Michonne's skin didn't fade away, but Daryl saw that steel soften for just a moment as she rested her forehead against Rick's chest, letting his arms wrap around her and his hands press to her back.

When the two of them breathed again, they breathed almost as one, and Daryl couldn't help the hint of a smile that flickered across his lips once more. Neither could he help the way he instinctively drew Beth just the slightest bit closer, but there was no need to explain. She looked up at him for a second and then followed his gaze right over to Michonne and Rick, and her own breath exhaled in a soft sigh.

There was no surprise in Beth's eyes when she leaned into him and he reached down to brush a stray bit of hair out of her eyes. Maybe that little reunion wasn't so surprising. After all, he of all people knew the sort of bond that could form between two people on their own who forged themselves into a team; not just to survive the world, but to _live_.

So in the end, all he could do was hum in agreement as she glanced from him to Rick and Michonne and back, before whispering simply, "Partners."

Yeah. He could understand that.

* * *

><p><strong>**AN: I hope you all enjoyed this, it is the labor of several very frustrating days. I will try to update as soon as I can, and hopefully this writer's block won't last. (If you're wondering, I do plan on finally moving the group ahead soon, probably in the next chapter!)  
><strong>

**Special thanks to Abelina (/u/612230/Abelina) for helping me work through the escape planning section, it had me stuck for two days and four drafts total! You should all pop by her page and check out her fics, especially Fall Right In and Wild Things. She is AMAZING.**


	9. Island in the Sea

**If I offer up cookies, will it make my apology for this update taking so long go any better? Yes? Well here, have some internet cookies! Ahem, anyway, sorry for the delay. I've been under a lot of stress lately and it's making it harder for me to write. I will try my best not to take so long to update again, I really need to stay in the rhythm of updating.**

**WARNINGS:**** Mentions of past sexual assault (detailed by the characters).**

* * *

><p>Daryl might not have been able to stop Beth from riding on the back of his bike after they'd continued their journal away from the town they were now all referring to as Wolfville, but he had been insistent on her resting every time they stopped. The one comfort to Beth was that she wasn't the only one being similarly looked after; on their latest stop she'd spotted Maggie herding Glenn back into the RV like a mother with it's chick, or perhaps like one of the old cow herding dogs they'd had back at the farm, guiding a wayward injured cow back into place.<p>

She was ensconced in the little bed in the back of the trailer, where Daryl would occasionally pop in to check on her in between taking care of camp or setting up watch for the evening. Tomorrow they would go scouting for their new home, and since she was intent on going with him, he'd insisted she get some rest.

_Because_ she was so intent on going with them, Beth didn't protest, even though she wanted to. It wasn't like she was really injured, after all. At most she'd had a mild concussion, and the wound on her head wasn't even enough to need stitches. Not like Glenn who, although he'd thankfully proved not to have rabies, still had a horrible wound on his arm that needed frequent care.

But because she wanted to go, and because she saw the worry and concern in Daryl's eyes every time he came to check on her or fussed over her, or even let his gaze linger for a moment on the new little scar on her temple, she didn't protest.

Even though it was _really_ boring just sitting here, resting on the worn comforter in the little back room, with nothing for company but an old ragged paperback and the occasional sounds of voices drifting through the small, propped-open window. Her bow really didn't need to be cleaned more than once or twice after all, and she could only peruse the local map they'd found so many times before even that became boring. So when she heard the click of the trailer door opening, Beth perked up immediately in interest that didn't fade even when she realized from the brim of the hat that it was Carl coming inside and not Daryl.

It was in random moments like this that Beth realized how much Carl had grown up in the time since she'd first seen him. That fragile little boy on the brink of death was now a lanky young teenager who possessed this odd mix of cocky confidence, dark humor, strength, and awkwardness. It was the awkwardness she saw now as he stood just inside the trailer, his shoulders hunched as he peered down the space at her from under the brim of his hat. "You busy, or something? Can I…"

"Come here, Carl. I'm not busy at all." She smiled warmly, trying to make him feel at ease by adding, "Honestly I'm bored out of my mind, you have no idea how happy I am to see you. Not that I wouldn't be happy to see you even if I _wasn't_ bored out of my mind."

Some part of what she'd said must have resonated with the boy, because he looked far less awkward and was smiling shyly as he came down through the trailer and into the little bed area, perching at the edge of it when she patted the comforter beside her.

"Dunno why he keeps making you rest," Carl said after a moment, "You said you weren't really hurt, right? And you're strong…"

A smile tugged gently at Beth's lips, and a reassuring tone slipped into her voice as she replied, "I'm not really hurt, but Daryl's just being careful. He wants to make sure I'm 100% when we go out to scout tomorrow, you know?"

"Yeah." For a moment Carl fell into a silence that had Beth studying him, watching as he picked at the comforter on the little bed and furrowed his brow as if considering what to say, or perhaps how to say it. Curious as she was, Beth didn't pressure him. She could be just as patient with him as she was with anyone else, and her patience was rewarded a minute or so later when he finally ventured, "About tomorrow… I was wondering…"

She might have been patient, but she could tell he needed some prompting, so she softly responded, "Yeah?"

With a shrug of his shoulders and a quick glance at her and away again, Carl mumbled, "Was thinking maybe I could come with you guys tomorrow. On the scouting team."

It wasn't the most unexpected thing he could have asked, really. Beth's eyes didn't widen with surprise or anything, she just studied him for a moment, letting her gaze take him in from the weight of his shoulders to the way he didn't seem to want to look at her for too long. It was as if he were just anticipating that she might say no, or possibly anticipating that her next words would be something like 'have you asked your father?'. It might have been the first words on anyone else's lips, but by now Beth knew well enough that a question like that was probably the last thing he wanted to hear, or at least it was right above a quick 'no'.

So instead she asked simply, "Well first of all, how about you tell me why it is you wanna come with us?"

"It's just…" His brow furrowed again as he trailed off, but Beth just watched in silence, following the pattern of the sun with her eyes as it shown through the small trailer window to light on the worn fabric of his hat. When he reached out himself and tugged lightly on the brim, Beth glanced up at his eyes in time to hear him mumble, "It's gonna be our home, you know? I wanna be there… when we find it."

The quiet that fell between them after wasn't from judgement or confusion. Beth examined his face in the silence, and there was nothing but understanding in her voice when she eventually murmured, "It's been a long time since we've had a home, hasn't it? Not just time-wise… a lot of things have happened since the prison." When he nodded faintly in response, Beth went on gently, "Finding a home after all of that… would be really good. It could mean a chance to start over."

"Like you said," Carl remarked, his voice just faintly gruff in a way that reminded her of his father. These days it wasn't hard to look at Carl and see the man he might become, a man as strong and capable as his father was. "Back in Richmond, that day we voted… it's a chance to make something good, and..."

"...and finding the right place is the start of that. The start of something good, hopefully," Beth finished for him with a gentle understanding nod.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is." When Carl finally looked up at met her eyes, Beth met them readily. There was a look of understanding in her gaze, a faint and reassuring smile on her lips letting him know that she felt what he was trying to communicate.

"I know it's important to me," Beth said after a moment, "Finding a new place, making a new start. As much as I've healed since… the hospital… finding a place, a _home_, I think that's what I really need. What we all need, to really be able to not just heal but _stay_ healed."

Carl nodded. "Me too." Again silence fell between them, but it was far from awkward. Beth sat up and shifted a little close to Carl, sensing that he might need the reassurance of her hand sliding gently up over his back. She didn't say the words out loud, didn't tell him he could let it out or talk to her if he needed to, but it was there in the quiet, in the rubbing of her hand in a circle over his back and the tilt of her head gently onto his shoulder.

"There were these men. Joe and the… Claimers. That's what Daryl calls them." As his low voice stuttered a bit, Beth stayed quiet beside him, still rubbing her hand up and down his back. She knew he was talking about, had heard some of it from Daryl in the time since they'd all been reunited, but this was Carl's story to tell. He didn't need any interruptions, just her quiet presence reassuring him to go on, "In the fight, the one where Dad and Daryl and Michonne killed them… before that… one of them got me." As he spoke his voice began to crack and break, and with each new admission, each new hoarse word she could feel his body shiver and tremble beneath her touch, "He grabbed me from behind, he... he pushed me down and pinned me to the ground. I could hear- I could hear him unbuckling his- his pants and- and I couldn't stop him and-"

She had promised herself she wouldn't interrupt him, but Carl was shuddering beside her, shaking through what she could only guess was the first and only time he'd ever spoken these words out loud; the first time he'd told his story since it had happened all that time ago. Weeks and weeks and he had been keeping it bottled up inside, and if anyone understood, it was Beth. It had taken her time to tell even Daryl, and she'd not told anyone else what had happened to her, except in the vaguest references.

To bear her own pain and anguish she could handle, but feeling Carl shiver like he was trying to stop himself from shaking apart was almost too much for Beth to take. She wrapped her arms around him and when he turned instinctively towards her she guided his head into the crook of her neck. His hat fell off in the process but neither of them noticed it falling to the wayside; all Beth could focus on right now was the trembling of his body as she brushed her hand over his back and stroked her fingers lightly through his hair.

"I c-couldn't stop him," Carl's broken voice was muffled against her shoulder as he shuddered in her arms. "I couldn't s-stop him, I couldn't do anything, _I couldn't stop him_."

"I know. I know, Carl, I know, and it's so scary, not having any control. It's _so_ scary…" Beth knew that experiences like the ones they'd both had could not be quantified or qualified. Even with the memories of Gorman's hot breath and groping hands running through her mind she couldn't say I know exactly what you felt because I went through the same thing… because she hadn't. She had gone through something, and _he_ had gone through something else, and both had been awful and horrible in ways both similar and not.

But she did understand, as much as anyone could. Holding him, Beth remembered that terror she had felt, the moments of panic, the seconds that had felt like hours in which she was desperate and afraid that she couldn't do anything to save herself.

There lay the difference, though. She _had_ been able to save herself, to fight back and regain control. Carl hadn't, and Beth had a feeling that was plaguing him more than anything else. He needed to get that sense of control back somehow and now she understood why it was so important to him to be able to come with them tomorrow. He needed to be there, to be doing something, to be there in the moment where they found the place they were going to make their own.

For a few minutes she just held him, rubbing circles across his back and remembering a time when her own mother had done the same to her... remembering when _his_ mother had done the same. She remembered Lori holding her close in the cab of the truck as they fled the destruction of her home, when Beth was broken and lost and her only safety was in the woman who had saved her life as she'd watched Patricia get torn apart. Like Lori had held her, Beth held Carl, stroking her fingers through his hair until his trembling slowed and began to ease.

Only then did she murmur softly, "I'll talk to your Dad, okay? I'll make sure you can come with us tomorrow. I want you to be right there with me when we find the place we're gonna make our home, okay? I know how important it is for both of us."

She felt the moment the words registered with him, how the tension eased from his body, brought out with the tide of an exhaled breath. He lingered in her arms a few moments longer and then pulled back, and though he sat up straight and reached quickly for his hat, she could see the vulnerability still lying beneath the surface of the strong facade he was doing his best to reassemble.

As Carl perched the sheriff's hat on his head, Beth pointed to her black bag, tucked on the floor next to the bed. "Can you hand me that?"

Grunting just faintly at the weight of it, Carl hefted the bag onto the bed, and despite the emotional moment they'd just shared Beth saw curiosity in his eyes as she reached inside. She and Daryl had their own bags each but most of the time they shared. Half of her stuff was in 'his' bag, half in her own, though really both bags were just _theirs_. In this case her bag held two books, but she was careful to only take out her own and set it on the bed between them.

As she pushed the bag aside and out of the way, she ran her hand over the book and gave Carl a soft smile. "This is something Daryl got for me. Since Richmond we've been working through it, reading it chapter by chapter."

"_That's_ what I see you guys reading sometimes, at night?" Carl's apparent fascination at having figured out a mystery had Beth smiling, even if he was only half right. Sometimes it was this book but other times it was Daryl's, one he was far more private about reading though he always did so with her in his arms.

"Mhm. I know books probably aren't that exciting to you, and maybe it seems like a silly idea but a lot of stuff in here has really helped for me. I'm not asking you to read it, don't worry-" She reached out to tug on the brim of his hat, smiling when he gave her a faint smile of his own in response, "But if you want… maybe I could show you some of the things I learned from it, you know? And we could talk sometimes about what happened, and how you're feeling."

A furrow appeared in his brow again as he looked down at the book and then back up at her. "Is that what you and Daryl do? You… talk about it, and stuff?"

"We do. It helps. Maybe it sounds a bit scary, or even kinda cheesy, talking about your feelings and stuff but it really does help. It's helped me every day since I got out of that place."

"Beth, when you were in there…" Carl swallowed hard, ducking his head down and mumbling out the words, "Were you… I mean did they..."

He didn't finish, but she knew what the question was anyway. He wanted to know if what she'd gone through had been like what he had or if it had been worse even. She could tell by his embarrassed expression that he felt uncomfortable about asking it, and if it had been anyone else she might have refused to answer. But it was Carl. He'd just opened himself up to her and showed her the darkest fears he'd kept trapped inside.

Still, if it had only been a sense of obligation, of you-show-me-yours, she wouldn't have let her own secrets out. But it wasn't just that. It was that he was in a place where maybe he needed to feel that connection, to know that he wasn't alone, and she was in a place where she was okay with giving him that bridge to cross. Each step she had taken away from the hospital with Daryl at her side had made her stronger, and now she felt like she was strong enough to do for someone else what Daryl had done for her. To reach out and be that support, that understanding guide. Not to do everything for him, but to just _help_.

"No," she said softly, her fingers slipping beneath the bracelets on her wrist so the pads of them could trace across the old ridge of her scar. "But there was a man, and he'd decided that I was his. I wasn't the only one who he'd… claimed in that way. He followed me around, he harassed me and then one day he cornered me." As she spoke her voice edged into dullness and she could feel her chest faintly tightening, but this time she was in control. She drew in slow and even breaths and she remembered the warmth of Daryl's arms around her, his chest pressed to her back and anchoring her.

Added to that was the knowledge that Carl needed to hear this- needed to _really_ hear this from her, honestly and with no attempts to dumb down the words. He was a child, yeah, by the standards of his age, but in the last few years he'd had to grown up fast just like she had. In times like these, she knew it was right to speak to him like the adult he was capable of being when he needed to. Drawing in a deep breath and feeling her own strength as well as the strength that Daryl gave her even when he wasn't there, Beth went on slowly, "He pinned me to the desk and he had his hands under my shirt, and he wanted to… to rape me. But I stopped him. I grabbed a jar of lollipops on the desk behind me, and I smashed them over his head and…" She bit her lip and looked down. "-and he died."

"You killed him?"

"No. Sort of." Beth shook her head, both in disagreement but also to clear away the memory; the scattershot colors of the lollipops spilling across the floor, the wideness of his eyes, the sound of his screams as Joan got her revenge even in death. "A walker got him." She said the words simply, although the entire thing was far from simple and she knew that. So after a moment Beth looked up at him and answered more truthfully, "One of the women he had raped-" There really was no use in mincing words, no use in sugar-coating something that had nothing to do with sweetness, "-she had killed herself right there in the office. She turned and I saw it, and so when I hit him he fell and she got him. So in a way, I think I did kill him."

He wasn't the only one she'd killed, but in some ways he was the one that haunted her the most. Even now sometimes, even with all the healing she'd done, his voice still lingered in her mind and in her dreams. Maybe it always would, or maybe time and care would make him fade into nothingness. Maybe in time Carl's memories would fade too, although Beth had a feeling that though they might both be able to recover and become strong, they would ever completely forget.

She and Carl sat together in silence for a few long moments before Carl's gaze dropped away from hers and he gave a gentle, simple nod.

"Maybe we could talk sometime. About the books, or about feelings or whatever. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad."

Beth just smiled and nodded in return. Maybe it wouldn't be bad. Maybe it would be what both of them needed; but if she could help just Carl, even a little, that would be enough for her.

* * *

><p>A little while later Daryl found his way back to the trailer and her, as Beth had known he would. Somehow he seemed to know instantly that she was feeling somewhat vulnerable and upset. Maybe he had seen Carl leave, maybe he could simply see it in her eyes or etched across her face… maybe he just knew because he was Daryl and she was Beth and these days there was a shared language between them. It wasn't his language or her language anymore, it was <em>theirs<em>. Dixon and Greene.

However he figured it out wasn't really important though. What was important was Daryl climbing without hesitation into the bed with her, drawing her back against his chest and wrapping his arms around her to hold her close. What was important was the feeling of safety she had gotten the moment he stepped into the trailer, a sensation that only deepened as he grew closer, as he held her against his warm frame, as she turned onto her side to curl against his chest with his legs braced on either side of her body, solid and reassuring.

Her cheek pressed to his chest and she breathed in deep, surrounded immediately by the familiar scent of him that like everything else about Daryl, only seemed to anchor and ground her. He was her life raft in an endless churning sea, a steady buoy grounded to the ocean floor below, just as she was so often for him when he needed her to be.

Or maybe instead they- in their togetherness- were that buoy. Maybe together they were an island in the middle of that sea; small and buffeted by the waves but providing safety from both water and storm. If they were an island, than it was one she wished she could live on forever.

Beth didn't know how long they lay there quietly together but eventually she felt herself relaxing. Her vulnerability faded, like cracks in her shield that had been filled both by herself and by his belief in her. Slowly she tilted her head so that the tip of her nose just lightly grazed the underside of his jaw, and she hummed as she felt his hand fit itself perfectly to the curve of her hip.

"Carl told me what happened," she murmured into the safety of his neck, "That night, with Joe and his group. And I told him about… the hospital."

Daryl said nothing at first, just pressed his lips lightly against Beth's temple and held it there until she exhaled a deep breath, banishing the last bit of tightness from her muscles. Only then did he murmur in a low, gruff voice, "Must've took a lot, for both of you."

Between those simple words she read his pride in her and Carl both, his understanding of how tough it had truly been for both of them to detail their trauma. Daryl always meant far more than he said, and by now Beth truly did understand that. Not only did she understand his real meaning but she could feel it and appreciate it, too.

"He wants to come with us tomorrow," she murmured as she shifted up a bit, resting her cheek against his shoulder as her face nuzzled into the crook of his neck. "I think he should. He needs to be able to be in control, to be able to do something for once. Being there when we possibly find what's going to be our new home… that could be good for him, you know?"

For his part Daryl just nodded in agreement, but after a moment he ventured, "Rick, too. Should be there. He doesn't show it but… I reckon he's more worn down than he looks." She heard the concentration in Daryl's voice as he spoke, with that deep understanding of the people around him that even he still didn't realize he had. Daryl was observant in so many ways and it showed, even if few other people were observant enough towards him to see it. After a moment, he added, "I think everyone is worn down, but especially Rick and…"

Beth had been briefly caught up in her memory the other day in the middle of the wreckage they'd left behind in Wolfville; the sight of Rick clinging to Michonne and just holding her close as if he'd never been more grateful. _Worn down_, she thought, was the right word for it. But then Daryl's hesitancy pulled her thoughts away and when his voice trailed off she pulled back from his neck enough to glance up at him and meet his gaze with a question in her own.

"Worried about Carol still, s'all." He kept his words gruff and short, but with Beth he didn't need to say much. Not now, anyway. From conversations held late at night or out in the woods when it was just the two of them, she knew he was worried about Carol and her lack of belief in the potential for what was ahead of them; that he was afraid of her giving up, of getting lost to her own demons.

(She knew, though he didn't say as much in words, that he worried about Carol the same as he'd worried about Merle once. That he was afraid of what demons could do to the people he thought of as family, as siblings. That he was worried of waiting until it was too late, and losing someone else.)

"Maybe she should come, too," Beth suggested simply before pressing a soft and reassuring kiss to his cheek. "Maybe she should be there too, when we find our new home. Well, hopefully." A faint smile crossed her lips and she chuckled a little. "Be kinda silly if we built up tomorrow as this big thing with this whole scouting party and the potential to help everyone, and after all that we don't find anywhere good enough."

Though his chuckle rumbled through them both, after a moment Daryl shook his head. "Nah. We'll find somewhere."

"You think so?" She quirked an eyebrow at him, but the look in her eyes was all love and understanding, a kindred connection to this man that she felt deep in her heart, her soul, right down to the root of everything that she was.

"I do. Just feel it, s'all." For a moment their eyes met and Beth could see everything she was feeling mirrored in her gaze. And even though a second later he blinked and chuckled and wrapped his arms around her to tug her close again, she could still feel it, that rightness resonating within them both, right through their bones.

Tomorrow would be good. It just _would be_. They both knew it.

* * *

><p>The next day when the scouting group assembled, she didn't just have Daryl at her side but Carl and Rick as well. Once he'd agreed to let Carl come and Michonne had volunteered too, it hadn't taken much of anyting to get Rick to agree to come with them. Along with the five of them they also had Tyreese, Sasha... and Carol.<p>

Beth didn't know exactly what Daryl had said to Carol in the private conversation they'd held off near the edge of the woods, but whatever he'd said had been enough to at least get her to join the group, though perhaps not enough to erase the skepticism that lingered on her face. But she was there, and that was what mattered for now.

Before leaving the town that they'd nearly gotten trapped in by first wolves and then walkers, the group had swept every building. It had been Daryl who'd remarked that if they'd almost risked dying here, it might as well have been worth something.

One of the many supplies they'd found and gathered had been a pair of walkie-talkies. Rick had one clasped in his hand now and Maggie had the other, as Rick had put her in charge of watching over the rest of their group along with Rosita, and Tara.

"We'll check in every 20 minutes, alright?" Rick testing his walkie talkie one more time, and then slipped it back into his pocket. "We go an hour without checking in, you send someone to find us. We'll head southeast, keep Clayton behind us." They'd given the city a good berth, despite the potential for supplies it was also a risk they weren't willing to take right now, after the last town full of wolves and walkers both. "Follow the signs we saw for those vacation rentals and cabins and see if we can't find somewhere just right. If we have to stop for the night we will, but hopefully we'll find something before then."

It was early morning now, and the hope was they could find someplace before night fell; if not to make their new home, than at least to shelter for the night before they continued looking. The only reason they were splitting up at all was because it was just easier on foot to get places without the sound of the vehicles drawing all the walkers and wildlife around to them.

So it was on foot that they headed into the woods, making their way parallel to the small mountain road they had been driving on. The group was mostly quiet, though occasionally soft convos broke out as they headed purposefully in the direction Daryl was guiding them. He was intent on the task at hand as always, maybe even more so than normal…. but even he strayed from his focus occasionally; once Beth looked over and saw him slowing to point out tracks to Carl, who crouched down to examine them with the same avid interest Beth remembered showing herself when she'd first been learning.

Sensing movement beside her, Beth glanced over to see Rick coming up next to her, his own gaze on his son as well as he remarked, "It's good for him, learning this stuff."

"All of it is," Beth agreed with a soft smile. For a moment she just studied the two figures knelt off to the side; Carl's smaller frame right next to Daryl's, mimicking the way the older man crouched with his hands dangling between his knees. Both of their long dark hair fell into their eyes, though Carl's hat prevented him from copying the way Daryl ran his fingers through his to shake it back.

Everything Carl had told her last night had been in confidence, and Beth had no desire to break that. But she did think that some things were important for Rick to know, if only to better help _Carl_ with what he needed. That was what had her peering up at him to say softly, "It is, you know. It's good for him, and it's important. He needs to be doing things like this; things that he's in control of, things that are important. He needs to have that…" She paused but only for a moment, the words of her own self-help book coming to mind as she finished, "-agency. He needs to feel like he has agency, you know?"

"I do." Rick looked into her eyes for a long moment as if to reassure her that he meant it. "I know how important that is. For all of us."

And for himself too, Beth knew, though he didn't say it out loud. She couldn't help remembering the way he had been back at the prison and how her Daddy had helped him find himself again, helped him come back from his loss by giving him things to do, something that he could control even if it was as simple as gardening. Maybe this could be that for him again. Maybe it could be that for all of them.

But Beth didn't say that aloud, at least not now. She just briefly reached up to squeeze his arm and give him a soft smile before her attention was caught by the sight of Daryl rising to his feet and glancing back at her.

Even as she moved to meet him and walked at his side, their arms brushing as they lead the group in the direction of the first potential set of cabins, Rick's words lingered in her mind. This place they were trying to find was important to all of them for so many reasons. Not just the idea of safety and security in a physical sense, but the safety that the future offered. The promise of a place that was theirs, but also a place where they could _do_ things. Where they could build and grow and not just survive, but _live_.

It mattered, perhaps more than any of them realized, and that only put a heavier weight of importance on the need to find the right place.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, the right place wasn't so easy to find, though on one hand Beth couldn't help thinking that maybe that was a good thing. If the first set of cabins they'd come across had been perfect, Beth would have figured it was too good to be true. She didn't subscribe to the notion that everything that came easy was too good to be true, but it did have <em>some<em> merit.

But the first group of cabins they'd found had been clustered in the middle of the woods. They were sturdy looking, though there were only three of them, and a waterfall nearby into a small pond provided a water source. But as Daryl pointed out, the cabins were right in the center of the woods, with barely a clearing around them. If they couldn't get the benefit of height, they at least needed a clear line of sight around the cabins to watch for walkers even after they managed to get a possible wall up.

Not to mention three cabins wasn't really enough for their group as it was, let alone if (by some chance) they ever expanded.

The second set of signs they'd followed had lead up higher into the hills to a spaced out series of wooden cabins. Though they had the advantage of height, there was no natural water source nearby. Even beyond that the cabins were in horrible shape; the roofs had caved in on two of them, and water damaged had destroyed those and worked it's troubles on the others, too. They'd marked down the location on the map along with the first one, because despite the shambled state of the cabins they were a possible source of supplies, including lumber. But after that they'd moved on, conscious of the time ticking by and the afternoon sun beginning it's slow descent as they headed back towards the road and the next set of signs they'd spotted yesterday on their drive.

From the moment they spotted the first of these new signs, Beth felt a twinge of something inside that she tried for the moment to ignore. It wasn't a first hint of warning bells, no, those she knew by now to _never_ ignore. It was something else entirely, something soft, something perhaps just as dangerous as warning bells in it's own way.

She tried to ignore it. But as they followed the small dirt road up into the hills with the sounds of water in the distance and birds chirping around them, it became harder and harder to deny the twinge of emotion she felt within her each time she saw the small hand-carved wooden sides reading 'Haven Cabins'.

Maybe it was the name; _Haven_. It seemed almost _too_ pointed, too obvious, and yet she still felt that light sensation bubbling up within her as they moved quietly and carefully up the path that bordered what Daryl said was a pretty good-sized stream that headed in the opposite direction they were moving. According to Daryl, that meant there might be a source up ahead like a pond or a lake, and that only made that soft fluttering feeling inside of her grow a little bit more.

That feeling that only continued to bloom as they reached the part of the road that broke through a gap in the forest and wound through the clearing of grass that stretched ahead of them. As the group came to a stop to drink in the sight before them, Beth stood in silence as well and just… _looked_.

In front of them stretched a field of overgrown grass, it's lightly swaying green acquiring a tinge of gold in the late afternoon sunlight. The same sunlight sparkled on the surface of the lake in the distance, making the water glisten even more amid it's reflection of the blue sky above. But what really held their attention sat at the edge of the lake; a line of six wooden cabins built side-by-side. From a distance each appeared sturdy and whole, with no sagging roofs or visible holes. They saw no walkers trundling around the edge of the lake or any of the houses, no signs of broken windows or busted down doors.

There was only tranquility, and the gentle lapping of the lake water against the rocks at it's edge, the soft cry of a bird overhead and the rusting of the trees in the faint breeze… and the feeling welling up inside of Beth and perhaps in Daryl as well, she realized as she felt him reach out and curl his hand around hers.

It was a dangerous feeling and a promising feeling all at once. A feeling born from deep within, rooted in dreams, capable of sparking into something wonderful or burning up in a failed inferno. It fluttered in the breast like a bird's wings, aching to burst free and take flight, and even in a world as cruel as this one could be, Beth knew it's name as well as she knew her own.

_Hope_.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this update and that it was possibly at all worth the wait.<strong>** Reviews are love, thank you for continuing to read!**


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